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Thursday
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Friday
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Friday
21:00

Lions: All roar and no bite 

By Angus Opperman
Monday 16 Jun 2025

SEASON REVIEW: Following a solid start last year, the Lions self-imploded yet again to finish their second-worst season in United Rugby Championship history.

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Things were looking positive at the start of the campaign.

Four wins on the bounce, which included big scores against Ulster and Edinburgh, indicated that it could just be the season where the URC play-offs will be reached.

Unfortunately, the notorious self-implosion bug crept in again through inconsistency and, at times, simply poor performances, which saw them finish the season in 11th place.

The article continues below…

The saddest part for the Lions and their long-suffering supporters is that they had a four-match home run at the back end of the competition against teams they were expected to beat.

Their fate was literally in their own hands, and mathematically, if they won all their matches even without four-try bonus points, they would’ve in all likelihood made the play-offs.

Sadly, heavy home defeats to Benetton and Scarlets proved to be the final nails in the coffin, and their supporters are rightfully seeking answers.

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Rumours have been circulating regarding changes in coaching personnel, but that remains to be confirmed.

Taking everything into consideration, @rugby365com rates the Lions’ URC season 3.5/10.

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