The Lions have been creeping up the United Rugby Championship (URC) points table but are not getting ahead of themselves.

They had been second-last with just one win before going on a three-match winning run at Ellis Park, ahead of hosting Edinburgh in Johannesburg on Saturday (4.05pm). Assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher insists, however, there has been no talk in the group of setting their sights on a place in the top eight and the knockout stages.

“Not at all. We can't afford to talk about those things. The big thing for us is to make sure we handle what is in front of us,” said Loubscher about a  team still in 12th place.

Besides, he said, every week is a challenge. “You cannot afford to focus three weeks ahead. You can't underestimate any team,” he cautioned.

Getting back to Ellis Park, where they are in the midst of a sequence of home matches, has helped turn things around for the Lions. The altitude and heat conspired against overseas teams and some tactical refinements have contributed to their turnaround.

Getting reward for their toil in attack was an area they were keen to address in their run of home matches.

“Turning pressure into points has been a big thing for us,” Loubscher said. “It was pleasing to see the guys doing that. Also playing at a high tempo against Cardiff, Munster and Ospreys.

“Against Munster we showed a lot of belief in the second half. We just need to work on our finishing.”

Compared to earlier in the campaign, the Lions have lately been able to call on key players who have returned from injury. It has given them even more traction in the scrum while their line-out is operating with greater efficiency, and that too has become an attacking platform.

“Our set piece is an area of focus for us,” said Loubscher. “To have ‘Nothies’ [Reinhard Nothnagel] back as a line-out caller makes a difference for us.”

But the Lions have reason to tread lightly against Edinburgh, who downed the Sharks in Durban last week.

“They are a balanced side. They were happy to play without the ball against the Sharks. They put the Sharks under pressure with their kicking game. The set piece will be a point of difference for us in this game,” Loubscher said.

If their tail dragged earlier in the campaign the Lions now have a spring in their step. The coaches have observed this at practice.

“The confidence is showing and we've had quality sessions,” said Loubscher. “The boys are enjoying themselves and they're having fun. We also missed some opportunities, which is a nice thing to talk about after a win.”