The Lions have done enough to be in contention at this point of the season for a first-ever Vodacom URC playoff, despite a comparatively quiet off-season recruitment drive.
Where they stand:
URC: 10th, 24 points
Challenge Cup: 4th in Pool 2, round of 16
Ivan van Rooyen’s men are currently in 10th place on the URC log, just one point off the top eight playoff berths.
The Lions ended the first half of the season with a narrow 30-28 loss to the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, where they showed in equal parts their growth, but also their limitations which could see them once again stumble in their playoff quest.
Narrow losses against the URC’s top teams have been a theme for the Lions this season, beginning with four defeats in five games against the Stormers in Johannesburg (35-33), away in Edinburgh (17-16), Benetton in Treviso (15-10) and Ulster in Belfast (24-17).
The Lions did rebound from a tough tour by getting a full house of points against Zebre and Dragons, before scalping the Sharks in Durban in what was easily their most important result of the season to date.
Four wins out of nine in the URC, two of those away from home, is a decent return for a team that had no real high-profile signings during the off-season. However, the Lions will need to take advantage of their six remaining home games if they hope to make a first appearance in the playoffs.
Best signing: Richard Kriel
There were just five new arrivals at Ellis Park, one of those being loanee flyhalf Kade Wolhuter from the DHL Stormers, who was recovering from a long-term knee injury.
However, the decision to bring Richard Kriel back to South Africa from Parma has paid off, with the 23-year-old dominating the right wing position this season.
Kriel has already matched his two-try tally from last season and should kick on to score more for a team that has so much ambition with ball in hand.
Best result:
While the Lions were impressive with how they beat Premiership strugglers Newcastle Falcons in the Challenge Cup, their triumph against a Springbok-powered Sharks team could turn out to be vital in the context of their season.
The Sharks went into that game with dogged determination after a narrow defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town and were desperate for a win.
However, after falling behind to tries from Makazole Mapimpi and Grant Williams at half time, the Lions roared back in the second half and two former Sharks players Marius Louw and Sanele Nohamba scored the winning points in the final few minutes.
Remaining fixtures:
17 Feb: Bulls (h)
2 March: Sharks (h)
23 March Connacht (a)
30 March: Ospreys (a)
6 April: Benetton, Challenge Cup playoff (h)
20 April: Leinster (h)
27 April: Munster (h)
11 May: Cardiff (h)
18 May: Glasgow Warriors (h)
1 June: Stormers (a)
Mid-season prediction:
The Lions will push on and claim a place in the URC playoffs for the first time.
Things are still tight in the battle for the top eight, with just four points separating eighth from 12th. However, the Lions do play six of their remaining nine URC games at home. Particularly key will be the upcoming home derbies against the Bulls and Sharks and the clashes with Leinster and Munster at Ellis Park. The Lions don’t need to be reminded of last season’s 39-36 loss to a second-string Leinster team, which ultimately cost them a top-eight finish.
The Lions do need to secure top eight before they travel to Cape Town to face the Stormers in the final game of their campaign, as the hosts will be battling to finish in the top four and have made Cape Town Stadium a fortress.
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images