Lions look for comeuppance against 'bogey' team Ospreys

WHEN the Lions look back at their 2024/25 season, they will note with exasperation a number of matches that torpedoed their United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign.

- MORGAN BOLTON

Flying high at the start of the tournament with victories over Ulster, Edinburgh, Dragons and Zebre, there was a sense that something special was brewing at the Joburg-based outfit. Losses were expected, everyone agreed, but they would be quickly forgotten - the team now having enough experience and wherewithal to bounce back and mount a successful push for the Top 8.

That charisma was certainly on display when they dispatched a Springbok-laden Sharks team at the beginning of March this year, winning 38-14; the match was proof positive of what this Lions team is capable of.

It's unfortunate the URC saw so little of that version of the Lions.