How Lions can restore some South African Pride
The Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series has been all New Zealand so far, and the Lions now have a golden opportunity to restore some pride for South African rugby when they take on the All Blacks at Ellis Park on Tuesday night.
The All Blacks have won four out of four on tour so far, with their 33-16 scalping of the Springboks at Ellis Park in the first of four Tests their latest victory.
Prior to the Springbok implosion, a late surge saw the All Blacks score three tries in a little over 13 minutes against an injury-hit Stormers outfit to break free from the 14-all stalemate and secure a 38-21 victory at Cape Town Stadium in their first run-out on this tour in the Republic.
*Also read: Lions v All Blacks PREVIEW
The Sharks offered little more than an opposed training session in the second match as a near full-strength All Black outfit thrashed them 54-0 at a wet Kings Park without ever really hitting top gear, and while the Bulls offered more resistance and scored three tries of their own, they were never really a match for the 50-19 victors.
With the South African franchises currently in their pre-season and given the young-and fringe player mix of the Sharks squad in particular, not much could be read into those results.
While the same could be said about the Lions’ fixture as they are also still in their pre-season and lack match fitness – although they have had a bit more time to focus on their preparations than the Stormers, Sharks, and Bulls had when they faced the Dave Rennie’s men – a strong performance will not only be a major positive for South African rugby, but the series as a whole after a string of one-sided franchise displays.
And after the way in which the Springboks were thumped in an embarrassing performance, South Africa needs it.
The Lions have named a near full-strength squad for the contest that includes Springboks Quan Horn, Boan Venter, and new recruit Sikhumbuzo Notshe. Scrumhalf Morne van den Berg, who was named on the Springbok bench for the second Test against New Zealand, is the only absentee.
Exciting loose forward Siba Mahashe and the battering ram with smooth footwork Batho Hlekani round out the loose trio alongside captain Francke Horn, while talent-stacked Haashim Pead is named among the replacements with Nico Steyn starting at scrumhalf.
Mr Reliable, Chris Smith will run the show at 10, while Henco van Wyk and Richard Kriel form a strong midfield pairing.
So, the Lions will be out in their full armour, and they have everything to play for.
Apart from the much-needed positivity that a strong Lions performance will bring, it will also be major for the integrity of these mid-week games.
And how good would a superb display by the hosts be for their confidence heading into the 2026/27 United Rugby Championship season? Especially after their stellar season ended like that against Leinster.
The Lions’ running game – which has been well complimented by improved cohesion and speed in their defensive system – has always been their sharpest trait, and witnessing them go about their attacking business against the like-minded All Blacks will be quite something.
The latest edition of the URC kicks off on September 25, with the team from Johannesburg squaring off with the team who ended their URC run in last season’s quarterfinals on Saturday, September 26, at Ellis Park.
Last season, the Lions made history by securing their first-ever play-off in the competition. It resulted in a 59-10 blowout at the Aviva Stadium.
Having a proper go against the All Blacks, especially while not match-ready, will do a great deal for this Lions team’s confidence heading into another URC campaign.
And it will be just as morale-boosting for South Africa as a whole after four wins for New Zealand in as many matches on this historic tour.
