URC history beckons for luckless Lions on difficult tour

The nearly-men of SA rugby are yet to qualify for the URC playoffs in four attempts, and a trip down memory lane highlights their trail of desperation.

Last season, a string of losses at home consigned them to 11th on the table. The year before, the Lions lost against the Stormers by four points in their final match, tying them with eighth-placed Ospreys, but they would lose out due to the number of wins. In 2023, a three-point loss to Leinster at home in their penultimate match resulted in another ninth-place finish.

In 2026, the men from Johannesburg are hoping to flip this script. With six consecutive victories - many of them commanding ones at that - they sit in third on the table. But the highly competitive nature of the tournament and their difficult tour may yet scupper their campaign.

The Lions face defending champions Leinster and the in-form Connacht in Ireland. Dublin and Limerick are not happy hunting grounds for any team, let alone the Lions, who are yet to win in the northern hemisphere in any competition this season.

"It will be a tough tour," confirmed coach Ivan van Rooyen.

"At least it is still up to us."

And a top-eight finish is absolutely in their hands. Ninth-place Connacht could overtake the Lions with ten points from their last two fixtures. But regardless of other results, two points from the tour will be enough to see the Lions through to the playoffs for the first time in the competition's history.

However, van Rooyen isn't aiming to squeak through. He wants scalps, scalps that could propel the Lions into a home playoff at Ellis Park, where they have an exceptional record of late. They've run in no less than 30 tries in their last six matches.

"It won't be easy, but two victories will do the job," confirmed van Rooyen

"We know the amount of work that will be required, so we won't get carried away by our current position [third]. If we leave it up to other teams, we will put ourselves into a difficult position."

With such a superlative record of late, you'd think there's not much for the Lions to work on. But van Rooyen highlighted their lineout as an area that requires improvement ahead of the business end of the season.

"Our line-out also doesn't always function as it should," he said.

"If you don't get that right, you can't exit or apply pressure in the scoring zone. There is enough to work on to keep us grounded and honest."