Head coach Ivan van Rooyen must rally his troops ahead of a final URC league clash against Munster that could determine their URC play-off hopes.
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The race to the United Rugby Championship (URC) play-offs just got tighter and, suddenly, the Lions are fighting to qualify with one round left in the tournament.
Four teams, including the Stormers and Bulls, have secured their places in the quarter-finals, but the Johannesburg side have it all to do this coming weekend against Munster in their final clash of the league phase.
Following a disappointing 31-7 loss to Leinster on Saturday evening, the Lions received their first real taste of play-off rugby.
Now, they know what to expect when they take on a wounded Munster in Limerick on Saturday evening. By then, they will know exactly whether they have already qualified or if they need a victory to secure their place in the knockouts.
It all depends on what happens in the Connacht versus Edinburgh clash on Friday evening at the Hive Stadium in Scotland. A defeat for the Irish side would secure a historic first quarter-final for head coach Ivan van Rooyen and his team. However, Connacht threw a spanner into the URC works by beating Munster this past weekend, so they remain firmly in the fight for a Top 8 spot.
The Lions will also be hoping for a favour from the Stormers and the Glasgow Warriors on Friday evening. The Cape side face Cardiff and Glasgow travel to Ulster and both home sides are below the Lions. A defeat for either side would keep the Jozi Pride above them.
So, there are a lot of permutations for the Lions, but they must only focus on their task and not worry about other results.
Van Rooyen will be proud of the fight his team showed against Leinster, but their inability to break down the defence when they found themselves in promising attacking positions was slightly concerning. They have not struggled to score tries this season, but Leinster did superbly to keep them out.
Their finishing will need to be a major focus this week as they prepare for Thomond Park and a desperate Munster side. Furthermore, their defence was watertight for much of the clash at the Aviva Stadium. It was only in the final 10 minutes that Leinster pulled away after scoring three tries.
But that was typical play-off rugby and the visitors got a glimpse of what they can expect should they progress to the quarter-finals come Saturday evening. For now, they will hope the Stormers and Edinburgh can do them a favour on Friday before taking advantage against a depleted Munster side to claim five points and climb as high as possible on the URC table ahead of the knockouts.
If they cannot, a potential quarter-final against Glasgow or Leinster away from home awaits. However, a possible fifth or seventh place finish could set up a clash against the Bulls or Stormers in South Africa if the current standings remain unchanged after the final round.