Lion cubs growning into their manes

Today at 02:53 PM

OPINION: Are the Lions on the threshold of repeating their Super Rugby glory days, when they were the dominant South African team in Super Rugby?

Between 2016 and 2018, the Pride was a team creating memories of brilliant play, astounding tries, and magnificent victories.

They fought back from Super Rugby relegation in 2013 and built a team out of nothing.

Their shared belief saw them finally play in three consecutive Super Rugby finals.

On Saturday the only two unbeaten teams in the United Rugby Championship, the Lions, in second place, and log leaders Leinster, face off to potentially leave only one unbeaten team standing.

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It will be a mouthwatering top-of-the-table clash and the Joburgers in with a real chance to climb to the top of the tournament later in the season.

A victory won't secure the top spot for the Lions (18) as Leinster is on 25 points, but a win will go far to instil confidence in a team that has struggled in recent years.

The Lions are no stranger to big moments but for this young bunch of players, this might be their biggest game to date.

The men from Johannesburg have enjoyed a cult-like following this season as they've risen from the proverbial ashes of franchise rugby in South Africa against all expectations.

It's early days we hear you say, and you are right.

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But victory in Dublin can catapult this team to a place of self-belief and show that the young ones have grown into their manes and a team to take seriously.

Coming off an attritional 10-9 win over Zebre in the pouring rain in Italy last weekend, they will look to cap off their northern tour on a high in Dublin.

Ivan van Rooyen's charges are undefeated after four wins, three away from home.

But things haven't always been that promising. They've had dark days and seasons of discontent.

In their first URC season (2020/21) they ended in 12th place and a year later (22/23) they improved somewhat to end ninth overall.

Their best-ever result in the URC up to now was in October 2022 when they beat a starstudded Edinburgh in Scotland 22-19.

In a performance that had commitment and composure as abiding features, the Lions closed out their tour with a third straight win.

"To put it into perspective, this is probably our best win in the URC," Van Rooyen stated at the time.

Leinster is no stranger to Van Rooyen's charges.

The Lions have beaten them previously, in April 2023 in the double-header at Loftus, but Leinster did not play their A-Team.

On Saturday, after their narrow defeat of Zebre, Van Rooyen admitted that it will probably be the first time Leinster will load their side with all their big names.

And this time round the Irish giants have defence guru and former Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber in their corner.

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"We are under no illusion that it is probably 90 percent of the best team in the world currently, with Ireland ranked No. 1, so we know where Ireland's Test ranking is," Van Rooyen candidly stated on Saturday.

"Leinster is ranked No. 1 in the world. So we are under no illusion that it is going to be tough, but we are excited to see how and where we can push them.

"To see if we can push them and set us apart from where we were last year.

"It is probably the first time, I am assuming, that we will play Leinster's real A-team and we are playing at Aviva which we know how proud they are there," Van Rooyen said.

A look back at the road that has brought them to the second spot in the URC table reflects tumultuous times of highs and lows including a regelation from Super 14.

They competed in the Super Rugby competition until 2020 and had varied results in the Southern Hemisphere tournament.

They finished at the bottom of the table six times (in 1998, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2010, and 2012), but reached the semifinal stage five times (in 2000, 2001, 2016, 2017 and 2018).

They reached their first Final in 2016 when they lost to the Hurricanes 3-20 in Wellington.

The Lions repeated the feat in 2017, losing 17–25 to the Crusaders in Johannesburg.

They went on to reach their third consecutive Final in 2018 when they lost 17-38 against the Crusaders in Christchurch.

The team faced relegation from the Super 14 after the Southern Kings won a SARU vote in 2013 that determined they should be included in the competition in place of the lowest-ranked South African team - the Lions.

The Lions' exclusion lasted just one season as they regained their place in Super Rugby for the 2014 season by beating the Southern Kings in a two-leg play-off after the Kings finished bottom of the 2013 South African conference.

Before the 2020 season was cancelled, the Lions were sitting last in the South African Conference and thirteenth overall, with one win and five losses.