Underdogs. Written off. Not given a chance. For Morné Steyn, that’s exactly where any South African rugby team thrives, and it’s this mindset that he believes the Lions will carry with them into their United Rugby Championship (URC) quarterfinal against Leinster this weekend.Playing Leinster in Dublin is never an easy task. But Steyn has enough experience of pulling off the impossible in this competition.He was part of the Bulls team that knocked Leinster out of the semifinals in Dublin in the inaugural season of this competition. Now, as an assistant coach with the Lions, he believes a similar opportunity awaits this team. Especially after Leinster’s heavy defeat in the Champions Cup final against Bordeaux last weekend.“It won’t be easy to beat Leinster at home, and we’ll have to be at our best to win. But we saw it in the Champions Cup final that there is an opportunity now. I also saw it with the Bulls a few seasons ago when we beat Leinster in Dublin in the semis. “It’s possible. The nice part of it is that nobody is giving us a chance. And a South African can never be written off,” says Steyn.This marks the first season yet that the Lions have made it to the playoffs. As a player, Steyn always thrived on these big moments. And he says his advice to this team has been to do exactly what he did, whether it was playing in a final for the Bulls or kicking a last-minute penalty for the Springboks to beat the British & Irish Lions.It won’t be easy to beat Leinster at home, and we’ll have to be at our best to win. But we saw it in the Champions Cup final that there is an opportunity now. — Morné Steyn“It is a big occasion, but sometimes players make it too big in their minds. In my career I always focused on treating each game as just another game, whether it was a league game or a final. “So I would tell this team not to make it bigger than it is. To be in the playoffs is already an achievement. That was our goal at the start of the season. Now they just need to go out there, live their talent and play.”Steyn also believes their Round 17 game against Leinster early in May was crucial preparation for this quarterfinal, even though they lost 31-7.“I saw it in that game. A player like Sibabalwe Mahashe is 22 years old. It was the first time he and some of the other young players in the squad were playing in Ireland in front of a full Dublin crowd all against them. “That was a big thing for them. Now with the quarterfinal, I can see these youngsters are excited. It’s the first time they’re part of this senior team, and it’s more of a challenge for them. I think they’re looking forward to it.”The odds will favour even a hurting Leinster.But Steyn has been here before in his career and knows that odds don’t win playoff matches.“We all know it. This ball isn’t round — it can bounce any way. You just never know.”