OPINION: Lions let South African rugby fans down with poor derby display

South African rugby derbies are all about huge performances, memorable tries, last-ditch tackles, and games going to the wire.

They are much like Test matches, as teams bring their A-games, fighting tooth and nail in front of capacity crowds for ultimate bragging rights.

The first Jukskei derby between the Bulls and Lions in this season’s United Rugby Championship was exactly that.

Eleven tries, scuffles aplenty, and a last-minute fightback from the chasing team. In the end, the Lions secured a huge 43-33 win over the Bulls at their home ground at Loftus, in November.

While the teams found themselves in opposite form three months later, most expected the Lions to play a cracker with a full-strength team at home.

Bulls coach Johan Ackermann even expressed frustration at not having all his tried and tested players available for the much-anticipated game.

Not even in the game

In the end, the Bulls didn’t need their missing Springboks and in-form stars, because while Lions fans turned up, their team didn’t…

The Lions were so subpar that they would likely have lost to any URC team on the day.

They squandered almost every attacking opportunity, barely put up a fight in the air, and had a defence more full of holes than a block of Swiss cheese.

The Bulls completely controlled the game, finding gaps at will and winning eight tries to two, with the final score 52–17.

Bulls fans had a blast at Ellis Park, and many would have enjoyed how they made the most of it every time they sniffed a chance.

But the contest was a let-down, in that there wasn’t one. Derbies are supposed to be closely contested. This one was entirely one-sided, more due to the Lions playing well below their best than anything the Bulls did.

Lions captain Francke Horn admitted they were simply not good enough, saying the result was a timely wake-up call as they dropped from seventh to 10th and out of the play-off spots half-way through the tournament.

The Joburg team let down more than just their own fans after their dismal performance. They gave South African rugby derbies a bad name.