Jaco Kriel and Julian Redelinghuys have cited a lack of belief as the reason for the Lions’ poor record against South African teams in this season’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship.

The Joburg-based franchise have lost all four of their matches against local opposition, including heavy defeats to the Sharks (37-10) in Durban and the DHL Stormers (40-8) in Cape Town during the festive season that saw them drop from fifth on the overall URC log to 11th.

The Lions’ five wins in the tournament have all come against foreign teams, including three on their first tour of the season, against the Ospreys, Cardiff and Edinburgh.

January is set to be a make-or-break month for the Lions in both the URC and Challenge Cup.

They will face Munster in Cork on Friday, followed by Challenge Cup fixtures against Stade Francais in Paris and the Dragons in Newport, before another URC clash, against Connacht in Galway.

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“On tour, there are no external distractions, so there’s bonding and nothing else to do except get to know the guy next to you,” Kriel told the media on Wednesday when asked about the Lions’ contrasting form against SA and European teams.

“We have spoken about the fact that we seem to struggle against South African sides, which is sad to see because it hasn’t always been the case. I think it’s a mental thing – we have to believe we can beat them.”

Scrum coach Redelinghuys echoed the Bok flank’s sentiments.

“It’s been a year since we last beat a South African team in this competition. It was great to see three South African teams in the playoffs last season, but it shows we are in a tough conference.

“I agree with Jaco that it’s a mental thing. When we play against local teams we call the players by their names; when it’s foreign teams it’s the lock, the six, the 10, etc.

“It boils down to belief – that we can beat them. A couple of years ago we were unbeaten against SA teams, so we know we can do it.”

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The Lions will look to get things back on track against a resurgent Munster, who have won three of their last four URC matches. Their only setback in that period was a 20-19 home defeat to table-toppers Leinster.

“If you want to reach the playoffs, you have to win your home games, which we’re not doing at this stage,” said Kriel. “That makes our away games more important.

“Munster are on a good run, so it’s going to be a very tough game. They probably feel they owe us one [after losing to the Lions at Ellis Park last season].”

Friday’s match will be played at the unfamiliar venue of Musgrave Park, which has an artificial pitch.

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“It’s something we don’t have in South Africa and the guys do struggle a bit more on them,” Redelinghuys admitted. “It’s something we need to get used to, but at least you know the pitch will always be in good condition.”

With props Ruan Dreyer and Sti Sithole on the injured list, the tour will provide Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Morgan Naude with the opportunity to get some game time.

“What’s lekker is that if someone misses out, there’s always someone ready to come in,” said Redelinghuys. “It’s been good to see Ase standing up at tighthead and growing each week, and Morgan coming off the bench last week at loosehead and getting his chance. These guys would have learned from the senior players in the squad and when they get game time, they’ll get even better.

“Playing against Munster in Munster is a great test for the guys,” he added. “You don’t grow as a player when it’s easy, you grow when it’s tough.”