Why South Africa’s worst team proves just how good the Springboks are

When you mention the Lions, in the northern hemisphere, you’re already facing two major uphill battles. Proper uphill battles too – like preseason on dunes, but with less vomit. 

Firstly, whenever you first mention the Lions, to most people in the northern hemisphere, everyone thinks you’re talking about the British and Irish Lions.

So, before you’ve even started discussing actual rugby, you’re already discussing geography and hemispheres. Then, even once you’ve established that you’re talking about the Lions in South Africa, you’re often faced with rather blank facial expressions – because the Lions aren’t the Stormers, the Sharks or the Bulls.

Which is doubly unfair, given that a Lion is cooler than any type of storm, all species of Bull and most species of sharks.

Who are the Lions?

But the Lions, of Johannesburg, are arguably the benchmark by which South African rugby should be judged.

Traditionally in rugby we tend to measure a country’s rugby strength by their test team, in combination with their strongest club team.

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 ‘weakest’ club team.

This is where the Lions come in, as South Africa’s perceived weakest team – 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.

As a case in point, over the tail end of the festive period, the talk was all about the Stormers v Bulls – and you can kind of see why.

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.

Related: Why the Springboks are the greatest rugby team of all-time

Plus, there was the added spectacle of a stacked Bulls’ team playing with new coaching staff – some of whom may or may not have been sent from, or dialled into a ‘Teams’ meeting, from Springbok HQ. 

But it was in the shadow of a bull in a storm, that the Lions’ victory over the Sharks was largely overlooked by anyone outside of South Africa. It was an incredible win.

For the Lions to beat the Sharks isn’t unheard of, but when push comes to budgets, the Lions shouldn’t be winning those games – yet they did.

Even against the Sharks’ 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’t have expected pre-game. 

Away from the scrum, you would assume that a pack full of Springboks would beat a pack not full of Springboks – but you’d be wrong.

The Lions’ groundwork delivered six times the number of turnovers (six to one, that’s a big difference). Every time the Sharks built some multiphase plays in the Lions’ 22, the Lions somehow managed to throw clingfilm over the breakdown and suffocate the whole lot.

The Lions’ pressure didn’t just come from defence either. They also dominated the post contact metres, with a range of massive leg drives and the type of accurate ‘latching’ that is required in the modern game.

Another stat which illustrated the Lions’ 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’t do unless you’re dominating the collision and getting through ‘the back’ of the tackle.

Why should we be looking at the Lions?

To those outside of South Africa, a quick scan of the Lions’ team would lead you to believe that they are a team lacking quality, due to the other three franchises being so stacked – especially the Sharks .

Yes, the Sharks have a squad deep enough to dwell with the Portuguese Dogfish (3,600 metres if you’re interested), but the Lion’s aren’t exactly scrambling in the shallows. 

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).

And in Etienne Oosthuizen, they have one of South Africa’s most underrated locks – his underrating being understandable given that the Boks seem to be 3D printing test standard second rows at the moment.

In the backrow they have an incredibly dynamic number eight in Franke Horn and the equally impressive Ruan Venter on the flank – although you may not be seeing him for a while due to the four week suspension that he’s facing from the red card against the Sharks.

But the quality with the Lions doesn’t 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 – a fullback who reaches almost OCD levels of neatness at fullback. Plus, of course the next generation of Lions’ talent in Bronson Mills at centre and the hugely exciting Hassiem Pead at nine.

Beating the Sharks from a purely onfield perspective was massive for the Lions’, but there’s also an off-field benefit to victory.

The real charm of the win comes from the fact that the Sharks regularly pilfer the Lions’ best players and have done for some time – it’s like rugby shoplifting. The Hendrikse brothers and Tshituka brothers were all lifted from the Lions, and that’s just in recent memory.

And that’s also just the brothers who’ve moved between the two clubs recently – the Sharks also wont think twice of removing an ‘only child’ to Durban either.

Yes, the Stormers, Bulls and Sharks get all the shine in South Africa – 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’re only really as good as your weakest team, not your strongest. Well played, Lions.

---

Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door.

Follow Rugby World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X.