Lions’ future in doubt for Super Rugby championship 2013 - Rugby News
South African derby, Lions, has been cautioned and asked to better their performance in the next season of Super Rugby or else they will be removed from the championship starting in 2013.
The Lions ended up their Super Rugby season 2011 in 14th position at the point’s tables. One of their former investors, Robert Gumede, claimed today on July 4 that if the derby does not pick up its output in the next season, they will not be given
more opportunities.
The derby was founded in 1996 and initially it was named the Cats. However, the administration changed its name to Lions and then MTNLions during the current season of Super Rugby for sponsorship reasons. The Johannesburg based conference has been in rut
and was unable to elevate its performance from the last year. They finished their previous season exactly at the 14th ladder.
The Lions executed their best outputs in 2000 and 2001 as they managed to qualify for the semi-final stages of the championship. They lost their first ever semi-final to the ACT Brumbies and second to the Sharks in 2001, and were able to secure third place
in the championship.
Apart from those two achievements, the Lions have had nothing to cheer about in the entire history of Super Rugby. Since 2001, the derby has not been able to make their place in the top five teams of the tournament.
Talking to media, Robert Gumede, slammed the Lions and said that they have disappointed their fans. He further said that, “And if you take into account recent performances, of where they finished on the log and number of matches won, and not even talking
about crowd attendance, then the most vulnerable team are the Lions.”
He also said that recent bankruptcy reports would bring further problems for the Super Rugby team. He added that, “When we spoke of transformation at the Lions we were referring to good corporate governance, creating a winning culture
and retaining and attracting the best players for the team.”
The Lions administration is under immense pressure after the media broke the news of their bankruptcy and the resulting fall out.
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