Lions campaign suffers setback

Johannesburg - The Lions' campaign to fight their way back into Super Rugby was dealt another blow on Monday as French club side Agen cancelled this week's match.

"At the request of French side Agen, the fixture scheduled against their team on May 11 has been cancelled," the Golden Lions Rugby Union (GLRU) said in a statement.

"This as a result of Agen's relegation from the Top 14 tournament."

A previous match against Namibia and a planned tour of North America had already been called off.

These matches were scheduled to form part of an alternative competition, intended to get the Lions battle hardened ahead of a promotion-relegation clash against the bottom side in the SA conference in Super Rugby.

The GLRU confirmed that games against Samoa, the Stormers and the Sharks in June would go ahead as scheduled.

The team would also play host to a Vodacom Cup semi-final clash against Western Province on Saturday.

The Lions were meant to play a French Barbarians team on June 8, but the GLRU had opted to draft in a South African Barbarians team instead.

"The side will include several established South African players based both locally and abroad," the Johannesburg union said in the statement.

They would also play a match against French side Montpellier, who could still make the playoffs in the Top 14 competition.

The GLRU said the fixture would be cancelled, should Montpellier qualify for the playoffs, and they would have an alternate first-class fixture on standby.

The match scheduled for July 20, which could see the Lions face Grenoble at Ellis Park, would be confirmed at a later stage.