Lions URC playoff hopes dented by mediocre records against Scarlets, Ospreys

The Lions face a tough task in their final United Rugby Championship (URC) league matches, taking on two teams they don’t have great records against.

The Lions kept their slender playoff hopes alive by ending their five-game losing streak with a solid 26–7 win over Connacht at Ellis Park last weekend.

The win was massively important for the Joburg side as they moved ahead of Connacht to 13^th on the URC log with 35 points.

They are six points behind Benetton in eighth place, which is the bottom line for playoff positions.

Their outside shot of getting there is made all the more slim considering their opposition.

Though playing at home, the Lions will have to win both their games against Scarlets, who shocked Leinster on Saturday, and Ospreys, who beat the Dragons in their last outing.

Scarlets and Ospreys could show up Lions

Scarlets have had a mixed bag of results recently, winning three of their last six games, including a rare victory over log leaders Leinster. It was only the second win against the Irish side by any club this season.

But beating Leinster is an anomaly if your side only narrowly come out tops against bottom-ranked Dragons one week before that, and lose to 11th-placed Ospreys both home and away in the same season.

Scarlets are also middle of the pack at seventh on the log with eight wins and seven losses. They could produce any kind of performance when the teams clash in Johannesburg on 11 May.

The Lions will hope to use momentum from their “important win” against Connacht last week to drive this must-win game for them.

They opted for a more conservative, structured approach against Connacht to get out of their five-match rut amid their injury crisis. Time will tell if this will be utilised again.

When it comes to the Scarlets, the Lions have a two-win, one-loss record.

The Lions will be less confident of beating Ospreys with their two-win, three-loss record against the Welsh side across the URC and Challenge Cup. Ospreys won the three previous encounters between the teams, with the Joburgers only securing wins against them twice in 2022.