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Cape Town – Perhaps it was simply confirmation of the increasing, deeply saddening trend of South African Super Rugby squads thinning all the time through player departures for more lucrative northern climes.
Whether that specific point held validity in Christchurch on Friday or not, we seemed to see ample, sobering evidence that the ever-gutsy Lions are really no closer to eclipsing the iconic Crusaders – and perhaps even one or two other heavyweights in the competition – to the tournament’s crown.
The gap may only have expanded, appears the more honest truth.
Here the hosts romped, with some exhilarating end-to-end rugby at times, to a 36-10 victory in the Lions’ closing Australasian tour fixture, registering five tries to one (and that an opportunistic intercept by Ruan Combrinck) in the process.
It wasn’t even as though you could argue with any conviction that the Johannesburg-based side showed notable “tour fatigue”, for there was no lack of basic willingness and determination on their part, especially bearing in mind that this was a relatively lean, three-match roster abroad and they were fresh off a commendable upset of the Chiefs in Hamilton.
Further evidence of their relatively unscathed spirit was that danger signs of the proverbial cricket score had flashed when the ‘Saders wrapped up their try-scoring near-feast in the 58th minute, and for the remaining 22 or more the Lions scrambled and clung on tenaciously to stop any further haemorrhaging.
Yet despite that unbuckling sense of defiance, the 26-point margin still made it the visitors’ heaviest reverse to these legendary foes in the whole period since 2016 in which the Lions have been such plucky challengers (three times runners-up) for the main silverware.
Certainly it did precious little – even bearing in mind the absence on Friday of their two biggest-name pack members in Malcolm Marx and regular captain Warren Whiteley – to suggest that the Highvelders could travel long-haul to Christchurch again, and at unsatisfactorily shorter notice, to contest an increasingly likely final in that city in early July should the chance present itself.
Even with superior squad depth last year, remember, the Lions, who have since seen an awful lot of senior-staff defections, were whipped 37-18 in the showpiece to the Crusaders, though on that occasion it was tighter both mathematically and in terms of the try margin: 4-2.
For any chance of teeing up a third successive final appearance against the ‘Saders, into the bargain, the Lions have got to go some from here – though at least all back on South African soil for the remainder of ordinary season – just to ensure their knockout-phase berth.
They remained deceptively perched in joint-second on the conference table after Friday’s grilling … but with a chance of sliding to bottom of the five-strong group if a handful of results later in the weekend’s itinerary work against them.
On the brighter side, considering their tenuous 5/10 win record now, the Lions did manage to advance all the way to the 2018 final despite an ordinary season record of 9/16 then, so four victories from their remaining six matches this year would earn them an identical haul and a possible onward passage.
Those games are the Waratahs at home after next weekend’s welcome bye, Highlanders at home, Sharks away, Stormers at home, Hurricanes at home and finally Bulls away.
But quite a few SA neutrals may well be suspecting, from this juncture, that a better physically-equipped team from these shores might have a slightly better chance of upsetting the Crusaders in their own den should that become the requirement again in the 2019 final.
While the Lions’ game-plan remains one of the brighter ones on the so-so domestic circuit, they were as much outmuscled (both in the tight-loose and further out) as they were outsmarted and out-skilled in this match.
It was particularly highlighted in one instance in the first half when the hosts’ fast-emerging, Fijian-born wing Sevu Reece (not even your conventional “freight train” in build) swatted off a handful of Lions defenders en route to his first of two personal dot-downs.
In what might best be described as an aerial equivalent of the famous “Lomu on Catt” stampede at the 1995 World Cup, it included a spectacular pin-balling of gallant Lions No 8 Kwagga Smith, who truly went flying backwards at a rate of knots.
Shall we call it just one element of the Crusaders’ broader, mounting we-shall-not-be-halted statement for 2019?
*Follow our chief writer on Twitter: @RobHouwing ...
