Redelinghuys: 4G Turf plays a small part in Lions’ season

The Lions remain in Europe this week following defeat in their debut in the Investec Championship Cup last weekend. They now turn their attention back to the United Rugby Championship (URC), looking to bounce back after losing their Round 3 match against neighbours Vodacom Bulls a fortnight ago. Redelinghuys revealed that the Johannesburg outfit has been training on a similar surface this week in preparation for the physical demands of playing on artificial turf. 

"So we've had a couple of tours before this where we played a lot on the 4G fields. We tried to train on it in the weeks that we play on it. Even though the guys will say that the load needs to be managed well because it is tough on the tendons. So we obviously need to prepare as well as we can, so we trained on a pitch like that today – a very similar pitch. We don't really have a strong opinion. It is normally a bit faster, so yeah , the way we want to play suits us to a certain extent. But yeah, we know it's part of our season, but it's a small part of it," said Redelinghuys.

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Redelinghuys has also revealed that new prop recruit Boan Venter, who made over 100 appearances for Edinburgh before joining the Lions, has shared some insights into what the men from Doornfontein can expect. 

The Lions will remain in Scotland after their Round 4 clash against Edinburgh, with Glasgow Warriors next on their schedule. Redelinghuys admits the side is under no illusion about the importance of the next two fixtures before the November International break.