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The Road to the Super Rugby Title Runs Through Ellis Park

By Jamie Wall
Andries Ferreira of the Lions in action. Photo: Getty

It might sound crazy but it’s increasingly true: the Lions are the best Super Rugby team in South Africa. Jamie Wall looks at the side’s rise to the top of the standings and what that means for the looming playoffs.

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It’s a long road to the Super Rugby title these days. But now it’s looking like the end of it is going to go through Johannesburg for whoever wants to take the 2016 edition.

Someone busted out a 40oz of courage in the Lions’ pre-season camp and the former joke team of Super Rugby are now standing atop the table. Given their schedule, they’re a pretty safe bet to finish the regular season in that position too.

Do they deserve it? Well, sort of.

They’ve had the benefit of getting two matches each against the disappointing Jaguares and disgraceful Kings, plus a gimme against the Sunwolves. They’ve also dropped home games against the Crusaders and Hurricanes, the latter in which they hemorrhaged 50 points. The one shining result of their season was an away win in Hamilton against the Chiefs, the team they now hold a one-point lead on overall.

 
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The Chiefs are just one of four NZ teams within a bonus point victory of the Lions, but only two of them will make the playoffs – such is the way of the equal-opportunity (read: making more money by keeping the South Africans interested) conference system.

But let’s give the Lions a bit of credit here. After all, they are the team that invented being crap at Super Rugby.

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In 20 editions of the competition, they’ve come last six times. They’ve come within three places of being of last nine more times.

Their list of men in charge would be Exhibit A in the case against why good players don’t automatically make good coaches. It could possibly be part of a wider trial indicting John Mitchell for his lifetime of crimes against rugby in general.

They’ve had several names in their existence: Transvaal, Gauteng, The Golden Cats, The Cats and finally the Lions. Ironically, it was under the laughable Golden Cats moniker that they had their most success, two consecutive Super 12 semi final appearances 15 very long seasons ago.

The cavernous Ellis Park is their home ground. It’s a fortress when filled to the brim with Springbok supporters, but Lions games barely warrant opening more than one grandstand.

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This is a team that once scored 65 points in a game and LOST.

Any Lions fan who’s stuck with the team along this endless road of despair deserves some sort of award for superhuman masochism. Given that, maybe we can cut the Lions a break here. So what if they haven’t had to play every New Zealand team twice? They’ve done it tough for long enough.

At the rate they’re going, they’ll most likely meet the Sharks (whom they’ve beaten twice already) then either the Waratahs or Brumbies in the playoffs. If they can win those matches, it’ll be all on against the last New Zealand team standing. They might even win.

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Jon 2 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 7 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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T
Trevor 9 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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