Lions captain Francke Horn knows there is a lot of stake for the Lions this weekend.
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While the Lions will know by Saturday morning whether results have pushed them into the URC play-offs, there are significant reasons why they, in any case, need to beat Munster in Limerick in the very last match of the seven-month league phase of the tournament.
The Lions go into the match in fifth place on the log, and if they lose, they can be overtaken by one or more of the following teams: Munster, Cardiff, Ulster, and Connacht — depending on how those teams fare this weekend.
Complicating the scenario is the qualification for the lucrative Champions Cup next season. Usually, it is simply the top eight URC teams that advance, but not always. If the winner of the Challenge Cup is a URC team that finishes outside the top eight, they qualify for the Champions Cup at the expense of the eighth-placed side.
As things stand, Ulster are eighth on the log and also in next week’s Challenge Cup final against Montpellier. This Friday night, Ulster host the log-leading Glasgow Warriors and have rested some of their stars for the final.
They will probably lose to the Warriors — and if they drop out of the top eight but win the Challenge Cup, they will eliminate the eighth-placed team in the URC. The Lions do not want to be that team. That is why finishing at least seventh is vital.
And there is more. If the Lions beat Munster and maintain their fifth place — and the Bulls do the expected and stay fourth — the Lions would travel 60km by bus to Pretoria for a quarter-final rather than about 13 000km by air to the UK or Ireland.
If that is not a juicy carrot to beat Munster, then what is? Especially when you consider that the Lions have already tasted success at Loftus Versfeld this season.
Captain Francke Horn admitted that he will be in his hotel room watching the three Friday night games, but insists he will be doing so as a rugby fan rather than fretting over permutations.
“Our goal has always been to make the top eight,” said Horn. "If we win this weekend, we do that — so it’s basically as straightforward as that. A win makes sure we’re in the top eight, then you don’t have to worry about who plays where."
“We see it as a straight shoot-out with Munster to make the top eight,” Horn added, before hinting that the Lions learned their lesson last week against Leinster when they deviated from their natural game-plan.
“We have our plans for Munster. We want to force our game onto them. Munster are also going to be desperate — they need a win. So it’s going to be a massive game.”
Lions – 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (capt), 7 Batho Hlekani, 6 Siba Mahashe, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Reinhard Nothnagel, 3 Sebastian Lombard, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Morné Brandon, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 Ruan Delport, 20 Siba Qoma, 21 JC Pretorius, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Rynhardt Jonker.