It’s all really very simple for the Lions – beat Connacht and they’re in the United Rugby Championship playoffs.
The teams meet at Ellis Park on Saturday (4pm) with plenty on the line for both sides.
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Both teams are in the form of their lives and arguably playing the best rugby currently in the competition.
The Lions have gone five games at home without a defeat while Connacht from Ireland are on a six-game winning run.
The Lions are fourth on the points table with 48; Connacht are ninth with 44 … that is how close the teams are in the hunt for a top eight finish and a place in the quarter-finals.
Irish trip
A win on Saturday for Ivan van Rooyen’s men will secure them a place in the last eight for the first time in the competition.
A defeat for the Lions, though, against a Connacht team that is coming off a win against the Stormers in Cape Town and also desperate to keep on winning to keep alive their hopes of making it into the top eight, would be a huge setback.
For while they are well-positioned now, they still have to travel to Ireland to face Leinster and Munster in their final two games, and winning there won’t be easy.
It is for this reason that Lions assistant coach and former Springbok prop Julian Redelinghuys says Saturday’s 80 minutes will be crucial for the team’s entire season.
“A win against Connacht will secure us a top eight finish and a place in the playoffs. We’re not even thinking about a possible top four (to secure a home quarter-final), as Leinster and Munster will be very tough. We’re taking things game by game.
“Our focus isn’t on log positions … because we know Connacht are a bloody good team.
“They’ve beaten proper teams and have gone on a six-game unbeaten run in URC.”
It’s truly crunch-time for Van Rooyen and his charges. If they can take the best out of last week’s win against Glasgow, and stay focused on the task at hand, then they’ll have a good chance of securing the points and take the pressure off for their trip to Ireland.