Lions must hit back against Stormers to stay in URC hunt

It has been a chastening three weeks in the United Rugby Championship for the Lions as they have dramatically slipped from the top of the South African Shield conference to rock bottom after three consecutive losses.

It has been a disappointing run considering that two of those three games were at home, and it could become even worse for them as they face the resurgent Stormers at Ellis Park this weekend.

The two teams almost reversed roles after the Lions claimed an impressive bonus-point win over the Stormers in Cape Town in early December, which put them at the top of the SA conference heading into the new year, while the Stormers were second from bottom.

Since then, however, the Stormers have turned things around to go unbeaten with two wins and a draw (with two of those results away from home) to go top of the SA Shield, in stark contrast to the form of the Lions who have slipped to the bottom.

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The four-match local run of fixtures is an important one for SA teams, as the side that finishes top of the Shield conference gains automatic entry into the European Champions Cup, and the last of those fixtures has now become a must-win match for the Lions against the Stormers.

The Lions’ first game against the Sharks just over two weeks ago was a decent result, and while they were outscored 47-37 in the end, they picked up a bonus point for scoring more than four tries.

However, their double header against the Bulls did not go down well as they were soundly thumped 34-10 at home, before going down 21-13 at Loftus, which meant they have managed to pick up just one point out of a possible 15.

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The Lions can take heart from an improved showing this past weekend, but it will not be enough to beat the in-form Stormers and the Lions will have to improve even more in the coming match if they want to claim a positive result.

The Stormers will head into the game brimming with confidence after beating the Bulls 30-26 in Pretoria, drawing 22-all with the Sharks in Durban and then beating them 20-10 at home, and they will be looking to claim another good win on Saturday.