Lions skipper Francke Horn: ‘Rest and recover, then we go again’

Lions captain Francke Horn says the team will use their Christmas week off to rest, recover and switch off for a bit, before returning to United Rugby Championship (URC) action against the Sharks in Durban on the first weekend of January.

The Lions have the tough task of arresting a three-game losing streak against what is likely to be a Springbok laden Sharks in Durban, and try and reignite their season that has seen them win just three games against nine losses in all competitions so far.

They will hope that a decent performance against the Stormers in Cape Town, that saw them almost upset the unbeaten in-form hosts, after leading 17-10 at halftime, before falling to a tight 34-27 defeat, will give them some momentum heading up the coast.

“We need to rest and recover, and be with family over the next week over Christmas, just to switch off a little bit,” explained Horn after the Stormers match.

“Then on the 29^th (December) we are back we are back and prepping for the Sharks on the third of January. It’s not going to be an easy game, but after seeing what we produced against the Stormers, I have no doubt that the guys will be ready for that game.”

Stormers game

Against the Cape side the Lions produced a dominant display in the first half, and should have been ahead by more at the break, and that in the end proved costly as the Stormers fought back in the second half, with their ‘bomb squad’ making a big impact, to keep their winning run intact.

“We had a really good first 20 minutes (of the first half). We had a few good opportunities that we didn’t capitalise on, including one over the try line that we knocked on. And those are the small margins in big derbies,” admitted Horn.

“The Stormers also played really well in the first 20 minutes of the second half. But credit to the team. They never gave up, and we were still in it with a few minutes to go. In the 22m we need to be more clinical. We need to go through the phases and eventually we will score.

“But the Stormers are a quality outfit. We got one point, although we would have loved four or five, but unfortunately not this time.”

The Lions now have a busy January that could prove to be a make or break in their season, with away URC matches against the Sharks and Ospreys on either side of two Challenge Cup games against Lyon at home and Perpignan in France.