It’s the same old story for the Lions after four weeks of tough European tours in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and Challenge Cup competitions saw them return to Johannesburg battered and bruised, with their season hanging by a thread.
Five defeats in their last six games, in both competitions, has seen the Lions slide down the URC table, from fifth place in mid-December to 13th, although they did qualify for the Challenge Cup after the finish. third in that pool.
Despite progressing in the Challenge Cup, the Lions’ chances in both competitions look very slim, with a home playoff against French Giants Racing 92 a huge question mark, while URC’s hopes of making it to the top eight and the playoffs look very fleeting.
The most experienced member of the Lions squad, 38-year-old Willem Alberts, highlighted the lack of experience in an otherwise young squad as a major factor in their recent struggles, particularly abroad.
“I think we don’t have enough experience in the tour. There are still a lot of young people among the players and the coaching staff who are new in European conditions. So there is something to learn and we have to do better next time,” said Alberts.
“The biggest lesson you can take is that you have to be able to play good rugby every week, and you have to be able to adapt to training and playing conditions, especially when you have to play on artificial surfaces.”
Alberts certainly has an experience problem, but that’s something the Lions have to deal with every season as they fail to hold on to their best players.
Each season a new player shines in the union, then moves on to a bigger team, with the Lions’ higher-ups seemingly unable to catch the star player.
Since their heyday in the mid-2010s, when they reached three Super Rugby finals in a row, the Lions have seen an endless stream of the best and most experienced playing personnel move on to greener pastures.
This was shown again after last year’s inaugural URC campaign, when captain Burger Odendaal left for Wasps, star forward Vincent Tshituka and number one prop Carlu Sadie left for the Sharks, and star center Wandisile Simelane left for the Bulls.
If the Lions can’t salvage some pride for the rest of the season, in the URC and Challenge Cup campaigns, there could be another battle to keep their best players.
Players such as flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse, center Henco van Wyk and unstoppable forwards Emmanuel Tshituka and Ruan Venter, among others, would all be excellent prospects for other teams.
Along with the question of how many other veterans like Alberts and Jaco Kriel have left in the tank, the Lions can quickly find themselves back in square one, with the same old story.