The Lions, who are officially known as the Emirates Lions for sponsorship purposes, are a rugby union side who are based in Johannesburg and played in Super Rugby until the 2020 season. Also known as the Cats between the 1998 and 2005 seasons, the team had a chequered history with the competition. Although they finished bottom of the table six times, they also reached the semi-finals five times and the final three times. Sadly though, they lost on all three occasions.
Read on to discover even more about the Lions Rugby side. On this page you’ll find a detailed history of the team as well as their upcoming fixtures and latest result
Leinster missed the chance to extend their lead at the top of the United Rugby Championship after suffering a 44-12 defeat to Emirates Lions at Emirates Airline Park.
Leinster player rating: After their statement win against La Rochelle, Leinster were brought down to earth with a bump in Johannesburg. In a humbling match for Leinster against the Lions in the URC, here's how the players rated:
The Lions, who are officially known as the Emirates Lions for sponsorship purposes, are a rugby union side who are based in Johannesburg and played in Super Rugby until the 2020 season. Also known as the Cats between the 1998 and 2005 seasons, the team had a chequered history with the competition. Although they finished bottom of the table six times, they also reached the semi-finals five times and the final three times. Sadly though, they lost on all three occasions.
Read on to discover even more about the Lions Rugby side. On this page you’ll find a detailed history of the team as well as their upcoming fixtures and latest result
PRO 14 PRO 14 
PRO 14 Irish | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | PD | BP T | BP -7 | BP | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
-  Connacht | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
-  Leinster | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
-  Munster | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
-  Ulster | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Irish | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | PD | BP T | BP -7 | BP | Total |
| - Leinster | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 15 | 64 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| - Connacht | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 81 | 138 | -57 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| - Ulster | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 83 | 27 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| - Munster | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 20 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
Scottish-Italian | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | PD | BP T | BP -7 | BP | Total |
-  Benetton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
-  Edinburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
-  Glasgow | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
-  Zebre | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scottish-Italian | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | PD | BP T | BP -7 | BP | Total |
| - Edinburgh | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 146 | 89 | 57 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| - Glasgow | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 115 | 110 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| - Benetton | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 73 | 150 | -77 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| - Zebre | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 58 | -28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
South African | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | PD | BP T | BP -7 | BP | Total |
-  Bulls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
-  Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
-  Sharks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
-  Stormers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
South African | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | PD | BP T | BP -7 | BP | Total |
| - Stormers | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 185 | 125 | 60 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 24 |
| - Bulls | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 157 | 117 | 40 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 21 |
| - Lions | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 64 | -21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Welsh | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | PD | BP T | BP -7 | BP | Total |
-  Cardiff Rugby | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
-  Gwent Dragons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
-  Ospreys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
-  Scarlets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Welsh | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | PD | BP T | BP -7 | BP | Total |
| - Cardiff Rugby | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 85 | 90 | -5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| - Ospreys | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 82 | 109 | -27 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| - Scarlets | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 37 | -32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| - Gwent Dragons | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 75 | -55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Irish | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - Connacht | |||||||||||
| - Leinster | |||||||||||
| - Munster | |||||||||||
| - Ulster | |||||||||||
Irish | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | |||||||||||
| - Leinster | |||||||||||
| - Connacht | |||||||||||
| - Ulster | |||||||||||
| - Munster | |||||||||||
Scottish-Italian | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | |||||||||||
| - Benetton | |||||||||||
| - Edinburgh | |||||||||||
| - Glasgow | |||||||||||
| - Zebre | |||||||||||
Scottish-Italian | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | |||||||||||
| - Edinburgh | |||||||||||
| - Glasgow | |||||||||||
| - Benetton | |||||||||||
| - Zebre | |||||||||||
South African | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | |||||||||||
| - Bulls | |||||||||||
| - Lions | |||||||||||
| - Sharks | |||||||||||
| - Stormers | |||||||||||
South African | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | |||||||||||
| - Stormers | |||||||||||
| - Bulls | |||||||||||
| - Lions | |||||||||||
Welsh | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | |||||||||||
| - Cardiff Rugby | |||||||||||
| - Gwent Dragons | |||||||||||
| - Ospreys | |||||||||||
| - Scarlets | |||||||||||
Welsh | |||||||||||
| Round 4 | |||||||||||
| - Cardiff Rugby | |||||||||||
| - Ospreys | |||||||||||
| - Scarlets | |||||||||||
| - Gwent Dragons | |||||||||||
The Lions have existed as a rugby union franchise since 1998, when SA Rugby changed the Currie Cup qualification process for the Super 12 and created provincial franchises. However, the team had also previously existed as both Transvaal and the Gauteng Lions.
As a result, for the 1998 season of the Super 12, the Lions Rugby team entered the tournament for the first time as the Cats. Although the team found success in the 2000 and 2001 editions of the tournament when they reached the semi-final stages, they regularly finished at the bottom end of the table.
When the Super 12 was expanded to become the Super 14 for the 2006 season, the team rebranded as the Lions. However, the team continued to struggle. For the five seasons the tournament was known as the Super 14, the Lions finished no higher than 12th.
In 2011, a change to the Super Rugby format failed to bring a change of luck for the Lions Rugby team and they continued to finish in the bottom two. As a result, a vote was held and the Lions were relegated from the competition in 2013 and instead played in the Lions Challenge Series. At the end of this series, they then played a two-legged playoff for a Super Rugby place. They won this and the team’s fortunes were transformed.
The Lions Rugby team returned to Super Rugby as a rejuvenated side and regularly began to compete. In fact, in 2016, 2017 and 2018, the side even reached the final of the competition. However, they lost on all three occasions.
Sadly, when the coronavirus pandemic halted the 2020 edition of Super Rugby, South African sides withdrew from the competition due to travel restrictions. Although the Lions Rugby team played in the Super Rugby Unlocked tournament in 2020, the team will now participate in Northern Hemisphere competitions from 2021 onwards when they will play in the newly-formed PRO14 Rainbow Cup before taking part in an expanded PRO16 tournament.
Cal Smid Number 8 
Conraad Van Vuuren Prop 
Corne Fourie Prop 
Dameon Venter Hooker 
Darrien-Lane Landsberg Lock 4 
Etienne Oosthuizen Lock JC Pretorius Blindside flanker 
Jaco Visagie Hooker 
Jarod Cairns Number 8 
Jean-Pierre Smith Prop 
Lindo Ncusane Blindside Flanker 
Morne Brandon Hooker 
PJ Steenkamp Flanker 
Reinhard Nothnagel Lock 
Ruan Dreyer Prop 
Ruan Smith Tighthead Prop 
Sibusiso Sangweni Flanker 
Willem Alberts Number 8 
Andries Coetzee Fullback 
Asenathi Ntlabakanye Prop 
Edwill Van Der Merwe Fullback 
Emmanuel Tshituka Flanker 
Erich Cronje Centre 
Francke Horn Number 8 
Gianni Lombard Fly half Ginter Smuts Scrum half 
Hanru Sirgel 
Henco van Wyk Centre 
Illunga Mukendi Left Wing 
Izan Esterhuizen Centre 12 
Johan Mulder Scrum half 
Jordan Hendrikse Outside Half 
Kabous Bezuidenhout Fullback 
Kade Wolhuter Outside Half 
Manuel Rass Centre 
Marius Louw Centre 
Matt More Centre Morgan Naude Fullback 
Morne Van Den Berg Scrum Half 
Nico Steyn Scrum Half 
PJ Botha Hooker 
Quan Horn Right Wing 
Richard Kriel Full Back 
Ruan Delport Fullback 
Ruan Venter Lock 
Ruben Schoeman Lock 
Ruhan Straeuli Flanker 
Rynhardt Jonker Centre 
Sanele Nohamba 
Sango Xamlashe Centre 
Sibhale Maxwane Wing 
Stean Pienaar Right Wing 
Stephan Smit Fullback 
Tiaan Swanepoel Scrum Half 
Travis Gordon Fullback 
Vaughen Isaacs Fullback Zander du Plessis Fullback Although the Lions Rugby team were not successful in their early years in the competition, several international stars such as Francois Pienaar and André Vos both played for and captained the side.
In recent years, the side’s success has meant that several stars have represented the Lions Rugby team, including prop Jannie du Plessis, fly-half Elton Jantjies and loose forward Willem Alberts.
Lions Rugby 
