The Emirates Lions finished 11th in the 2024\u201325 United Rugby Championship, collecting 40 points from five wins, a draw, and 12 losses. Despite flashes of attacking promise, they fell short of the playoff places.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their campaign was defined by inconsistency\u2014impressive at home in Johannesburg but struggling for wins on the road. With a relatively young squad, the Lions will look to convert experience into results this season.<\/p>\n
The Lions\u2019 identity traces back to the proud history of Transvaal and Gauteng rugby before the franchise era. Rebranded in 2006 after competing as the Cats, the Emirates Lions reached three consecutive Super Rugby finals between 2016 and 2018, although they were unable to claim the title.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since the South African franchises shifted north, they have become a fixture in the URC and the EPCR Challenge Cup, representing Ellis Park and South African attacking rugby on a global stage.<\/p>\n
Statistically, the Lions finished mid-pack in many categories last season. They scored 402 points and 53 tries, showing an ability to cross the line with consistency. Defensively, they made 2,738 tackles at a 77% success rate, with 141 turnovers won.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their scrum was a strength\u2014winning 96 of 100 scrums (96%)\u2014and their lineout was efficient at 89% success with 21 steals. Discipline remains a concern, with 11 yellow cards and 162 penalties conceded. Kicking yielded 23 penalties and 34 conversions, with 14,825 kicking metres.<\/p>\n
How To Watch Emirates Lions Rugby in the U.S.<\/p>\n
All Emirates Lions matches in the 2025\u201326 United Rugby Championship will stream live on FloRugby in the United States. Fans can also watch every game on the FloSports app, available on mobile, tablet, and smart TV platforms.<\/p>\n
Subscribe To The FloRugby Annual Plan To Watch Every Emirates Lions Match in 2025\u201326<\/p>\n
A FloRugby annual plan is the best way to watch every Emirates Lions game this season, plus all URC, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, and more international rugby.<\/p>\n
Lions Rugby ScheduleSept. 27 \u2013 Cardiff vs Lions, Cardiff, 2:45 p.m. ETOct. 5 \u2013 Zebre Parma vs Lions, Parma, 9:00 a.m. ETOct. 11 \u2013 Benetton vs Lions, Treviso, 9:00 a.m. ETOct. 18 \u2013 Lions vs Scarlets, Johannesburg, 7:45 a.m. ETOct. 25 \u2013 Lions vs Ulster, Johannesburg, 6:45 a.m. ETDec. 20 \u2013 DHL Stormers vs Lions, Cape Town, 7:30 a.m. ETDec. 26 \u2013 Lions vs Sharks, Johannesburg, TBDJan. 3 \u2013 Sharks vs Lions, Durban, 7:30 a.m. ETJan. 23 \u2013 Ospreys vs Lions, Swansea, 1:45 p.m. ETJan. 31 \u2013 Lions vs Vodacom Bulls, Johannesburg, 6:30 a.m. ETFeb. 28 \u2013 Lions vs DHL Stormers, Johannesburg, 6:30 a.m. ETMar. 21 \u2013 Lions vs Edinburgh, Johannesburg, 7:45 a.m. ETMar. 28 \u2013 Lions vs Dragons, Johannesburg, 9:30 a.m. ETApr. 18 \u2013 Lions vs Glasgow Warriors, Johannesburg, 9:00 a.m. ETApr. 25 \u2013 Lions vs Connacht, Johannesburg, 9:00 a.m. ETMay 9 \u2013 Leinster vs Lions, Dublin, 11:30 a.m. ETMay 16 \u2013 Munster vs Lions, Limerick, 1:45 p.m. ETLions EPCR Challenge Cup ScheduleDec. 6 \u2013 Lions vs Benetton, Johannesburg, 7:00 a.m. ETDec. 13 \u2013 Newcastle Falcons vs Lions, Newcastle, 11:30 a.m. ETJan. 10 \u2013 Lions vs Lyon OU, Johannesburg, 9:15 a.m. ETJan. 17 \u2013 Perpignan vs Lions, Perpignan, 11:30 a.m. ETEuropean Union Rugby Lives On FloSports And FloRugby<\/p>\n
Rugby fans can stream every match from the Top 14, Gallagher Premiership, and United Rugby Championship on FloRugby, along with the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, making the platform the U.S. home for the world\u2019s biggest club competitions and the game\u2019s top players<\/p>\n
How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby<\/p>\n
Professional club rugby in Europe all streams on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States. FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:\u00a0<\/p>\n
FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Join The Rugby Conversation On FloRugby Social<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Emirates Lions finished 11th in the 2024\u201325 United Rugby Championship, collecting 40 points from five wins, a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":167164,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-167163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}