Lions looking for consistency in URC match against Edinburgh

2026-03-20 - 16:00

The Lions are aiming for a more consistent performance when they take on Edinburgh in their important United Rugby Championship (URC) clash at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 2:45pm). The Lions have struggled for consistency in recent times, as seen in January when they won two games, drew two and then suffered a heavy home defeat against the Bulls at the end of the month. Since then they have won two local derbies, against the Sharks and Stormers, but with different performances, as they dominated the Durban side, but were not at their best against the team from the Cape despite claiming a comfortable win. Coach Ivan van Rooyen is thus eager to see a more consistent showing against Edinburgh, as the Lions enter a season defining section of their campaign. “We want to see more consistency. I think at times we are really dynamic and flowing, and other times we force it a little bit and that leads to an increase in error rate and sometimes frustration,” explained Van Rooyen. “So from our side we want to have a clear identity in how we play and clear alignment in what that looks like. Then consistency, a lower error rate and increase in work rate. “We want to build momentum, keep building on how we want to play and hopefully we can get it all right on Saturday.” Playoff push With six pool games remaining the Lions have their next four at home, and they are all essentially must-win encounters, as their final two matches are in Ireland against powerhouses Leinster and Munster, and they don’t want to have to win them to reach the URC playoffs. “Ideally we would like to do the majority of the business before getting to Ireland. But in saying that I think the Stormers showed in beating Munster (in Ireland earlier this season), it is possible,” said Van Rooyen. “But you don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you have to go there and need six or eight points to make it into the top eight. So the four home games are very important for us to put us in a position where we don’t need to go there and pull a rabbit out of the hat. “We also can’t get carried away by trying to chase 15 or 20 points in the coming games. The big focus is for us to start well against Edinburgh, get through this fixture and then take it from there.” Edinburgh aren’t the only Scottish side they are facing in the coming weeks, as they will also host Glasgow Warriors, and they both could be buoyed by Scotland’s showing in the Six Nations. “If you look from the outside, Glasgow has a few more Scottish players in those vital positions. But I think both Edinburgh and Glasgow will take confidence from Scotland’s performances,” said Van Rooyen. “Scotland turned the corner in the Six Nations after the first couple of weeks, so we expect both teams (Edinburgh and Glasgow) to be exceptionally desperate and to play an exciting brand. They have shown with ball in hand they can be absolutely devastating.”