Tomorrow morning will see the Lions take on the Crusaders in what will be their third consecutive final in the Super Rugby tournament. Despite their underdog status, they could well go on to break the curse in a similar fashion to the Maties rugby team who lifted the Varsity Cup earlier this year.
The Maties rugby team were crowned FNB Varsity Cup winners at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch earlier this year. PHOTO: Teboho Mokonyana.
There are not too many rugby pundits that will predict a Lions victory in Christchurch on Saturday. Former World Cup-winning Springbok flyhalf, Joel Stransky, is one of the aforementioned who believe it is unlikely that the Lions can outplay their counterparts.
“The Crusaders are probably a better side, they have got home ground advantage and the Lions will have the disadvantage of travel. Altogether that paints a bleak picture,” he said.
And it is not difficult to see why. The Lions could not pull off a victory in the Super Rugby final when they faced the same team last year despite having home ground advantage.
Compare them to the eight-time champions, the Crusaders, who displayed a near-flawless performance as they outplayed the Wellington Hurricanes 30-12 en route to their 13th final and it sure seems like the Johannesburg team has an uphill battle ahead of them.
The Lions team of 2018 have not been firing like the one which ended the Super Rugby league phase at the top of the combined conference. Many skeptics will argue that it is because they have not faced any New Zealand teams in the build-up to last year’s play-offs.
The Crusaders have lost only 2 matches all season compared to the Lions’ 7 defeats. However, that should not mean that the Lions must be overlooked.
Statistics of Lions players who have excelled in the 2018 Super Rugby season. Source: Sport24
Be wary of the Lions for they have a lot to prove. A victory for coach Swys de Bruyn’s men, would not be first time a South African team had to endure painful defeats in consecutive finals before eventually breaking the cycle.
Maties Rugby came out guns-blazing as they stormed over the North West University Pukke 40-7 following an eight year title drought. What had made this victory sweeter was the fact that Maties had surrendered the title to Pukke in the final, two years ago.
Similar to the Stellenbosch team, the Lions have qualified for three-consecutive finals since 2016. However, the big difference between the two teams, is the fact that Maties are four-time Varisty Cup champions while the Lions have not won the Super Rugby title…yet.
De Bruyn is adamant that his men have the courage to rewrite history.
“I believe in miracles,” he said following his side’s 44-26 semi-final victory against the Waratahs. “This team has proven it…and anything can happen.”
The match kicks-off at 09:35 SA time.