No reinforcements for Lions as they head for Durban 'oven'

Lions loose-forward Jarod Cairns says playing well in the rain last week against the Sharks will help them in Durban’s humidity, although the heat will be next level.

Cairns scored one of the Lions’ six tries in their 38-14 defeat of the Sharks. The match was played amid a downpour but it did not curb the Lions’ aspirations to play adventurously.

“The humidity down in Durban makes the ball slippery and it will be challenging although playing in the rain last week wasn’t ideal but we handled it,” the 21-year-old said. “Mentally we have prepared for the change in temperature from Joburg to Durban. We are ready to play in an oven.”

The Lions are likely to take the same match 23 to Hollywoodbets Kings Park after assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher revealed that no players are expected back from injury. Exciting backs Henco van Wyk and Quan Horn have not recovered and tough lock Etienne Oosthuizen remains on the casualty list.

Cairns, a product of Paul Roos Gimnasium, said the Lions are relishing an onslaught from the hurting Sharks.

“We love the physical contest. We play rugby because it is a physical game and to be successful you have to dominate the other team,” he said. “When we get the physical side right it allows us to play the expansive game that we love.”

The Lions played a near-perfect game in bouncing back from a defeat to the Bulls and have given themselves a good shot at making the United Rugby Championship (URC) play-offs. They are among a pack of teams that are one point outside the Top 8. But Cairns said the Lions are keeping themselves grounded.

“We enjoyed the win and celebrated on Saturday night but on Monday we came in and reviewed the game and identified areas where we can be better,” he said. “We immediately started focusing on the challenge of going to Durban and backing up the win.”

Cairns is a young loose forward in competition with big guns Francke Horn, JC Pretorius and Ruan Venter but he says he is not stepping back.

“It is a competitive environment. We all love the competition at training and push each other to be the best. It has been fantastic to get game time in the URC. If Francke pushes me, I push him; if JC pushes me, I push him. We get the best out of each other.”

The versatile Cairns is an invaluable substitute because he can play across the back row.

“Being able to play six, seven and eight is a big aspect of my game. I like being versatile but ultimately it about getting on the field and enjoying the game.”

Cairns will have his role to play at the Shark Tank and is expecting big battle.

“The Sharks will go back to the drawing board and pick up their game. They will bring it on. It is a SA derby and we can expect a very tight game.

“Our forward pack has come in this week with the mindset of ‘let’s get the dominance again.’ Let us get the go-forward; let us get the best base for our backs to play off. We want to be physical and get the momentum for our backs to do what they do best.”