The Lions have the daunting task of taking on the mighty Leinster lurking around the corner, but before then they will have to overcome Zebre on their home turf this weekend in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
With the clash taking place at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, in Italy, at 1.30pm on Saturday, Lions defence coach Jaque Fourie says his charges will not be underestimating their opponents.
The Lions have got off to a cracking start in the URC with three wins from three, to hold third spot on the log.
One of those wins included a victory on the road over Dragons in Cardiff last weekend, and they would be a good bet to grab a second win away from home against a Zebre team which is in second last place on the log.
‘These are the teams you want to play against’
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity this weekend to play Zebre, and then next weekend, we play the team on top of the log,” said former Springbok centre Fourie.
“As players and coaches, those are the teams you want to play against, to measure yourself. If and when we win this weekend, next weekend is probably a top-of-the-table clash against Leinster – so we will give it our all against them next week.
“But we first need to do the job this weekend. Zebre are not an easy team, and if we are going in with that mindset – that it’s just going to be a walk in the park – we will be making a big mistake.”