Lions in real danger of going without a win on URC tour

The Lions could well finish their opening United Rugby Championship (URC) tour of the season without a victory, as they make the short trip from Parma to Treviso for their match against Benetton this Saturday.

It has been a dismal start to their campaign for the Lions, having been beaten 33-20 by Cardiff in Wales in their opener, and then going down 22-20 to Zebre on Sunday, giving them just one point from their opening two matches.

They now have the unenviable task of trying to upset an Italy laden Benetton team in their final tour game to give them a boost in confidence and kickstart their season.

The match takes on even more importance if the Lions are to realistically have a chance of making the URC top eight and qualifying for the playoffs, something they have never done in four previous seasons of the competition.

Last season the Lions even started with four straight wins, but followed that up by losing 10 of their next 14 games to finish well short of the knockouts, so three straight losses at the start, against teams that all finished in the bottom half last season, could leave them with too much to do.

Another problem they face is that Benetton have had their number in their last three games, with the Italian side beating them at home in the URC in November 2023 (15-10), in the Challenge Cup last 16 in April 2024 (27-17), and even at Ellis Park in April this year (42-31).

Last victory

The Lions have to go back to March 2023 for their last win against Benetton, when they edged them 32-28 in a thriller in Treviso, and they will need to produce a similar showing to have a chance this time round.

They will also have to shake off the disappointment of their last gasp loss to Zebre, with coach Ivan van Rooyen saying they had no time to dwell on.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed with the result. It shows you how small the margins in the URC are, and it shows you there isn’t a bad team in the competition, especially when you’re playing away,” said Van Rooyen.

“Now we’re prepping for Treviso. It’s a short week, so no time to sulk.”

Leaving it too late

During the match against Zebre the Lions produced a dismal first half to trail 12-3 at the break, but they fought back well in the second half to lead 13-12, and then 20-15 with just a few minutes remaining, before the hosts scored the decisive try in the dying moments.

“With four minutes to go, it was our game to win. But unfortunately, we didn’t manage the kick-off well enough, put ourselves under pressure, and allowed them an entry into our 22. It was way too easy and they managed to score,” explained Van Rooyen.

“We spent way too much time defending our try line (in the first half). We couldn’t get playing, we couldn’t get the ball into the right areas and start to build pressure.

“That started to change in the second half. I think we were a lot more dynamic, we had a lot more momentum in attack, and the three tries we scored were really exciting.”