Lions' tails in a knot

The Lions will return home to pick up the pieces after their season took a few ghastly turns on their three-match tour of Wales and Scotland.

Defeats in Cardiff and Glasgow have left them on the cusp of dropping out of contention in the United Rugby Championship (URC), while Friday night’s 24-12 defeat to Edinburgh saw them exit the Challenge Cup in the round of 16.

Though they put up a more spirited fight than they did a week ago against Glasgow Warriors, the Lions still proved no match for Edinburgh. “We are pretty disappointed with the defeat and the previous two games,” said beleaguered head coach Ivan van Rooyen.

“They were three very different games in terms of weather and tests, so there’s a lot to learn from the tour. There was still some good character and fight in the second half against Glasgow,” he added, in an attempt to salvage scrap from the ruins of a chastening 42-0 defeat last week.

Inconsistent

Though he was pleased with the fight shown against Edinburgh, Van Rooyen was disappointed with the way his team started both matches in Scotland. He put it down to inconsistency. “It wasn’t an effort thing,” he said.

“We made 11 errors in the last 30 metres in attack. It is then very difficult to convert pressure into points.”

Van Rooyen counted the physical cost of the tour. “A lot of wounds, cuts and open grazes from the three consecutive games on artificial pitches. There are sore joints and bodies.”

And salt was rubbed into the Lions’ wounds with the news that their Bok flank Ruan Venter — who left the field in the first half — will require a scan on Monday. 

Van Rooyen said the four remaining matches (Benetton, Connacht, Scarlets and Ospreys) in the URC give them the opportunity to reach their goal — which is the top eight. “It is important for us to find our identity and stay true to it,” he said.

If the Lions are still searching for their identity seven months into the 2024/25 season, it perhaps explains why they find themselves so thoroughly in the doldrums.