Springboks’ Dominance: Why South Africa’s Weakest Team Shows Their Strength
The Lions might potentially be the weakest team in South African rugby but that does not make them a bad team, argues Paul Williams
When you mention the Lions, in the northern hemisphere, you’re already facing two major uphill battles. Proper uphill battles too - like preseason on dunes, but with less vomit.
Firstly, whenever you first mention the Lions, to moast peopel in the northern hemisphere, everyone thinks you’re talking about the British and Irish Lions.
So, before you’ve even started discussing actual rugby, you’re already discussing geography and hemispheres. Then, even once you’ve established that you’re talking about the Lions in South Africa, you’re often faced with rather blank facial expressions – because the Lions aren’t the Stormers, the Sharks or the Bulls.
Which is doubly unfair, given that a lion is cooler than any type of storm, all species of Bull and most species of sharks.
Who are the Lions?
But the Lions, of Johannesburg, are arguably the benchmark by which South African rugby should be judged.
Traditionally in rugby we tend to measure a country’s rugby strength by their test team, in combination with their strongest club team.
ireland for instance are judged on their test team and Leinster, France by Les Blues and Toulouse, New Zealand by the All Blacks and Crusaders etc. But a better measure is surely to measure the test team and their ‘weakest’ club team.
This is where the Lions come in, as South Africa’s perceived weakest team – even though one quick look at the United Rugby Championship table will tell you the Lions are above the Sharks and Bulls at the time of writing this article.
As a case in point, over the tail end of the festive period, the talk was all about the Stormers v Bulls - and you can kind of see why.
The Stormers are absolutely smoking at the moment. Proper smoking to the point where they have to reset the smoke alarms at DHL Stadium after every home.
Related: Why the Springboks are the greatest rugby team of all-time
Plus, there was the added spectacle of a stacked Bulls’ team playing with new coaching staff – some of whom may or may not have been sent from, or dialled into a ‘Teams’ meeting, from Springbok HQ.
But it was in the shadow of a bull in a storm, that the Lions’ victory over the Sharks was largely overlooked by anyone outside of South Africa. It was an incredible win.
For the Lions to beat the Sharks isn’t unheard of, but when push comes to budgets, the Lions shouldn’t be winning those games – yet they did.
Even against the Sharks’ Romanesque scrum, the Lions were competitive. Further reinforcing the accurate, not lazy, stere
The lions’ Resilience Highlights South African Rugby Depth
The Lions demonstrate the overall strength of South African rugby, serving as a crucial benchmark for the nation’s competitive level despite often receiving less attention than the Stormers, Bulls, and Sharks.
While the Stormers, Bulls, and Sharks frequently dominate headlines, the Lions’ consistent performance provides a vital measure of the depth within South African rugby. A nation’s rugby prowess isn’t solely defined by its top teams, but also by the competitiveness of its less-celebrated franchises. The Lions’ ability to compete effectively underscores the broad strength of the sport in South Africa.
This point is illustrated by recent player movement between teams, suggesting a willingness to prioritize overall competitive balance over individual team strength. for example, the potential for the Sharks to readily release players indicates a focus on strengthening the league as a whole, rather than solely bolstering their own roster.
South Africa’s rugby World Cup Success
South Africa is currently ranked as the number one rugby nation in the world, having won the Rugby World Cup four times - in 1995, 2007, 2019, and 2023.
South Africa’s consistent success on the international stage, culminating in their fourth Rugby world Cup title on October 28, 2023, against New Zealand (23-19) in Paris, France, demonstrates the effectiveness of their rugby development system. This system extends beyond the high-profile franchises to include teams like the Lions, contributing to a deep pool of talent.
According to World Rugby’s official rankings as of January 8, 2026, South Africa holds the top position with 94.33 points. World Rugby Rankings