So, before you\u2019ve even started discussing actual rugby, you\u2019re already discussing geography and hemispheres. Then, even once you\u2019ve established that you\u2019re talking about the Lions in South Africa, you\u2019re often faced with rather blank facial expressions \u2013 because the Lions aren\u2019t the Stormers, the Sharks or the Bulls. <\/p>\n
Which is doubly unfair, given that a Lion is cooler than any type of storm, all species of Bull and most species of sharks.<\/p>\n
Who are the Lions?<\/p>\n
But the Lions, of Johannesburg, are arguably the benchmark by which South African rugby should be judged.<\/p>\n
Traditionally in rugby we tend to measure a country\u2019s rugby strength by their test team, in combination with their strongest club team. <\/p>\n
Ireland for instance are judged on their test team and Leinster, France by Les Blues and Toulouse, New Zealand by the All Blacks and Crusaders etc. But a better measure is surely to measure the test team and their \u2018weakest\u2019 club team. <\/p>\n
This is where the Lions come in, as South Africa\u2019s perceived weakest team \u2013 even though one quick look at the United Rugby Championship table will tell you the Lions are above the Sharks and Bulls at the time of writing this article.<\/p>\n
As a case in point, over the tail end of the festive period, the talk was all about the Stormers v Bulls \u2013 and you can kind of see why. <\/p>\n
The Stormers are absolutely smoking at the moment. Proper smoking to the point where they have to reset the smoke alarms at DHL Stadium after every home.<\/p>\n
Related: Why the Springboks are the greatest rugby team of all-time<\/a><\/p>\n Plus, there was the added spectacle of a stacked Bulls\u2019 team playing with new coaching staff \u2013 some of whom may or may not have been sent from, or dialled into a \u2018Teams\u2019 meeting, from Springbok HQ.\u00a0<\/p>\n But it was in the shadow of a bull in a storm, that the Lions\u2019 victory over the Sharks was largely overlooked by anyone outside of South Africa. It was an incredible win. <\/p>\n For the Lions to beat the Sharks isn\u2019t unheard of, but when push comes to budgets, the Lions shouldn\u2019t be winning those games \u2013 yet they did.<\/p>\n Even against the Sharks\u2019 Romanesque scrum, the Lions were competitive. Further reinforcing the accurate, not lazy, stereotype that there are no weak scrummaging teams in South. The Lions actually had a higher scrummaging completion than the Sharks- something that you wouldn\u2019t have expected pre-game.\u00a0<\/p>\n Away from the scrum, you would assume that a pack full of Springboks would beat a pack not full of Springboks \u2013 but you\u2019d be wrong. <\/p>\n The Lions\u2019 groundwork delivered six times the number of turnovers (six to one, that\u2019s a big difference). Every time the Sharks built some multiphase plays in the Lions\u2019 22, the Lions somehow managed to throw clingfilm over the breakdown and suffocate the whole lot.<\/p>\n The Lions\u2019 pressure didn\u2019t just come from defence either. They also dominated the post contact metres, with a range of massive leg drives and the type of accurate \u2018latching\u2019 that is required in the modern game. <\/p>\n Another stat which illustrated the Lions\u2019 dominance in attacking collisions was the number of passes that the Lions were able to execute out of contact. The Lions managed to pop 16 offloads post-tackle (the Sharks just six), something that you simply can\u2019t do unless you\u2019re dominating the collision and getting through \u2018the back\u2019 of the tackle.<\/p>\n Why should we be looking at the Lions?<\/p>\n To those outside of South Africa, a quick scan of the Lions\u2019 team would lead you to believe that they are a team lacking quality, due to the other three franchises being so stacked \u2013 especially the Sharks . <\/p>\n Yes, the Sharks have a squad deep enough to dwell with the Portuguese Dogfish (3,600 metres if you\u2019re interested), but the Lion\u2019s aren\u2019t exactly scrambling in the shallows.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Asenathi Ntlabakanye they have a player around which you could build a solid coastal defence, let alone a solid scrum (although the pending drug charges may hamper that somewhat). <\/p>\n And in Etienne Oosthuizen, they have one of South Africa\u2019s most underrated locks \u2013 his underrating being understandable given that the Boks seem to be 3D printing test standard second rows at the moment.<\/p>\n The Lions have taken some major scalps in the URC (INPHO\/Steve Haag Sports\/Christiaan Kotze)<\/p>\n In the backrow they have an incredibly dynamic number eight in Franke Horn and the equally impressive Ruan Venter on the flank \u2013 although you may not be seeing him for a while due to the four week suspension that he\u2019s facing from the red card against the Sharks.<\/p>\n But the quality with the Lions doesn\u2019t end up front. Out back they have Morne Van Den Berg at nine, Angelo Davids on the wing and of course the immaculate Quan Horn at 15 \u2013 a fullback who reaches almost OCD levels of neatness at fullback. Plus, of course the next generation of Lions\u2019 talent in Bronson Mills at centre and the hugely exciting Hassiem Pead at nine.<\/p>\n Beating the Sharks from a purely onfield perspective was massive for the Lions\u2019, but there\u2019s also an off-field benefit to victory. <\/p>\n The real charm of the win comes from the fact that the Sharks regularly pilfer the Lions\u2019 best players and have done for some time \u2013 it\u2019s like rugby shoplifting. The Hendrikse brothers and Tshituka brothers were all lifted from the Lions, and that\u2019s just in recent memory. <\/p>\n And that\u2019s also just the brothers who\u2019ve moved between the two clubs recently \u2013 the Sharks also wont think twice of removing an \u2018only child\u2019 to Durban either.<\/p>\n Yes, the Stormers, Bulls and Sharks get all the shine in South Africa \u2013 but spare a little for the Lions. In the number one rugby nation in the world, they are the real measure of strength in that country. After all, you\u2019re only really as good as your weakest team, not your strongest. Well played, Lions.<\/p>\n Download the digital edition<\/a>\u00a0of Rugby World straight to your tablet or\u00a0subscribe to the print edition<\/a>\u00a0to get\u00a0the magazine delivered to your door.<\/p>\n Follow Rugby World on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter\/X<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/inpho_02835349-630x403.jpg\")
<\/p>\n