Lions are pushing to new heights through ‘form and belief’

Mike Greenaway

The Lions’ victory over the Stormers last week has given their supporters a glimmer of hope that a recall to the team’s glory days is possible.

The Johannesburg team contested Super Rugby finals under coaches Johan Ackermann and Swys de Bruin between 2017 and 2019, only to fade away – but there are signs of revival in Johannesburg.

Under current coach Ivan van Rooyen, the Lions are 12th on the United Rugby Championship table, but have a game in hand over the Bulls and Sharks, and their 30-23 defeat of the Stormers last week flattered the visitors.

Assistant coach Barend Pieterse said that the Lions’ focus remains firmly focused on qualifying for the top eight.

“Our motivation is still to reach the play-offs. At the end of the day, we really want to finish in the top four,” he said.

“If you look at the points on the log, it doesn’t look great. But we have a game in hand.

“So, although the points table does not look ideal, we are actually in a very good position at the moment.

“The motivation is still there for us to move into the top eight or even top four.

“We definitely don’t want to be where we are at the moment. But we have the players, the form and the belief that we can beat any team.”

The Lions have backline playmakers in Morné van den Berg, Henco van Wyk and Quan Horn who often come up with moments of brilliance, while star No.8 Francke Horn continues to raise eyebrows.

The Bulls are expected to engineer a backlash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday (2pm kick-off) after their loss to the Sharks, but the Lions have enough ammunition to poop the party.