Lions can lay an exciting platform against stacked Leinster

OPINION: The Lions have the perfect opportunity to set the tone for their season when they host what will almost certainly be a stacked Leinster side in their 2026/27 United Rugby Championship-opener at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Ivan van Rooyen’s men will be the second South African team in action in Round One, with the Stormers kicking things off against Connaught on Friday night. The Sharks and the Bulls will run out later on Saturday against Ospreys at Kings Park and Zebre at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, respectively.

The Lions produced the best performance of the four South African franchises against the All Blacks during the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series mid-week games, going down 35-41 after leading 21-17 at the break.

It was a spectacular display by the Lions, who scored five tries as they took the high-tempo contest to the All Blacks.

It was a thrill-a-minute affair with a career-best performance by Nico Steyn and a stunner by his halfback partner Chris Smith, while the likes of Siba Mahashe showed that he cannot be rated highly enough, Ruan Delport quietly and brilliantly laid the groundwork up front for the rest to shine, and Quan Horn looked like the Bok he is.

They were by no means the only outstanding individuals, but they were certainly some of the bests.

The Lions, as a collective, were so good that one could not help but wonder how much more they could have produced had they been fully match ready.

Their performance was not just sensational considering they weren’t even done with their pre-season conditioning; they were sensational in spite of that.

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Inside the Lions’ new-look URC squad: Every signing and every departurehttps://t.co/SCgzDQNolF

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It was not only a highly entertaining display, but one that should have shown the rugby world what they can do. And now they have a shot at making another massive statement, especially after their quarterfinal exit last season.

After finishing eighth in the standings, the Lions secured their first-ever URC play-off berth after also claiming the South African Shield for the first time in the competition’s history.

They endured an anticlimactic end to their season, however, as they suffered a 59-10 defeat against Leinster, who went on to claim back-to-back URC titles.

It was always going to be tough embarking on their first play-off against the traditionally dominant team at their home ground, and most expected the occasion to deliver little more for the Lions than their first taste of knock-out rugby.

But expectations can’t be as low this season.

That performance against the All Blacks was the best advertisement for the Lions brand, and the only thing that could have made it any better was a win.

Now they have another shot at a statement performance, this time against a strong Leinster side.

Last season, the Dubliners took a 35-0 beating from the Stormers in Cape Town as they were without their British and Irish Lions contingent when they opened their campaign.

This time around, Leinster’s 41-man traveling squad for the two-match tour of South Africa includes the majority of their Ireland internationals.

Leo Cullen has named 15 players who took part in Ireland’s opening Nations Championship game in the squad, with star scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park the only exception.

Leinster have also welcomed back the international trio of Andrew Porter, Tommy O’Brien, and Joey Carbery, while there are no further updates on the injured RG Snyman, Caelan Doris, Jack Boyle, and Paddy McCarthy.

If the Lions manage to win this one, they will not only avenge their Aviva Stadium URC play-off horror but also gain massive confidence…enough to look back and draw from should the season get tough going forward.

Other than winning, watching a fully fit Lions outfit put up another exhilarating and try-scoring show akin to what they dished up against the All Blacks will be a prize in itself.