The Lions are once more in peril of lacking out on the URC prime eight for a fourth consecutive season.
It virtually looks like “Groundhog Day”, or ought to we name it “Groundhog Yr”, as a result of the Lions are as soon as once more in peril of lacking out on the United Rugby Championship (URC) playoffs?
Over the previous three URC seasons it has been the identical previous story for the Johannesburg franchise. They present plenty of promise, simply to flatter to deceive, and stumble when it issues most.
I really feel like a caught file speaking about their dreadful inconsistency — going from world beaters one week to embarrassing losers the following. It isn’t ok for a crew with such lofty ambitions.
With 4 pool rounds left within the present URC season, the Lions are in dire straits and once more don’t have qualification for the highest eight of their palms, and might want to win their remaining video games whereas hoping different outcomes go their approach to make it into the quarterfinals.
They’re at the moment 14th on the URC log, six factors off the highest eight, which is a dreadful turnaround as they left for his or her two-game URC tour two weeks in the past in eighth place.
Thrashed Sharks
Simply earlier than their tour they thrashed a Springbok-laden Sharks 38-14 at Ellis Park, and simply missed out on gorgeous them on their residence patch, happening 25-22 in Durban.
They thus had nice momentum occurring tour, however as an alternative misplaced a sport they need to have received in opposition to Cardiff in Wales, 20-17, and had been completely crushed 42-0 by defending champs Glasgow Warriors in Scotland over the previous weekend.
Within the first URC season, the Lions completed 12th, whereas over the previous two seasons they’ve completed ninth, with final season significantly harsh as they ended degree on factors with eighth positioned Ospreys, however missed out on the knockouts on variety of video games received.
With this season’s URC log packed so tightly, it might as soon as once more come all the way down to tie-breakers to separate groups making the highest eight and lacking out.
The Lions’ remaining video games are all in opposition to groups who’re additionally nonetheless within the quarterfinals combine: in opposition to Benetton (7th), Connacht (13th), Scarlets (11th) and Ospreys (12th).
A slip up in opposition to any of those groups would spell doom for his or her marketing campaign for the fourth successive season.
