The Johannesburg Lions were founded in 1996 but have only made two Super Rugby finals in their history, which were in 2000 and 2001. The Lions have often been clouded by an uncertain future, which has seen the club struggle to break free from the root of the Super Rugby ladder. The Lions have finished last on three occasions (1998, 2003 and 2004) and nearly folded to proposed South African team the Southern Spears in the Super 14. The Lions approached the Super Rugby competition in 2011 with renewed vigour after a new owner bought a stake and injected new funds into the team. Unfortunately results remained largely the same, managing only three wins and a draw from the 16 matches and finishing second last in the overall competition.
Johannesburg Lions
Lions Articles
Mitchell clear to return to Super Lions
by AAP, 9 Nov 2012
John Mitchell will meet with management at South Africa’s Lions rugby team on Friday in a bid to return as coach of the relegated Super Rugby outfit after his representatives said he had been cleared of misconduct. Mitchell’s Australia-based agents, Fordham Management, said on Thursday the uncompromising former New Zealand coach wanted to return to [...]
SARU boot Lions out of Super Rugby
by AFP, 17 Aug 2012
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) has relegated the Johannesburg-based Lions from the Super Rugby competition to make way for new side the Southern Kings. SARU officials voted 26-3 in Cape Town to promote the Eastern Cape-based Kings and relegate the Lions, who finished last in this year’s tournament. The Sharks, who finished runners-up this [...]
Rebels eye first overseas Super Rugby win
by Adrian Warren, 7 Jul 2012
Melbourne Rebels are wary of the hapless Lions as they chase their first Super Rugby win outside Australia. The Rebels have lost all six of their offshore games and, in the process, have failed to concede less than 38 points a match. Their average losing margin outside Australia is just under 30 points. “As a [...]
Chris F’Sautia outshines Cooper’s return
by David Lord, 20 May 2012 
The majority of the 30,118 Suncorp crowd at the Reds-Lions clash last night turned up too see the long-awaited comeback of Wallaby fly-half Quade Cooper for his first appearance since the Rugby World Cup seven months ago. But debutant Chris F’Sautia stole Cooper’s thunder. The 18-year-old centre-winger hasn’t even played one senior club game. Yet [...]
Reds vs Lions: Super Rugby live scores, blog
by Max Kenney-Herbert, 19 May 2012
Week 13 of the Super Rugby sees the newly firing Queensland Reds take on the bottom-placed Lions of Johannesburg at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. We’ll have live commentary from 7.40pm AEST. The Reds are coming off a thrilling 42-27 demolition of the Waikato Chiefs in Brisbane last weekend, which saw Wallabies star halfback Will Genia [...]
Blues beat Lions to get off bottom of Super Rugby ladder
by AFP, 12 May 2012
The Blues lifted themselves off the bottom of the Super Rugby table when they beat the Lions 25-3 in the battle of the cellar dwellers at Eden Park on Friday night. In a week when the Blues franchise advertised coach Pat Lam’s job, the side chalked up their second win of the season to end [...]
Blues vs Lions: Super Rugby live scores
by The Roar, 11 May 2012
It’s the battle for the wooden spoon tonight as the Blues host the Lions in Auckland. We’ll have live scores from kick-off at 5.35pm AEST. Although neither side has had a particularly favourable draw in recent weeks, the scoreboard has not been kind and both come into this one on considerable losing streaks, with neither [...]
The Lions form offers a King-sized opportunity
by Brett McKay, 1 May 2012
A few weeks ago, ambitious sections of the South African rugby media jumped all over comments from former Wallabies coach and World Cup-winning Springboks consultant coach Eddie Jones. There’s nothing new in that, I suppose. Unsurprisingly, it was relating to the ongoing dilemma the SARU have created for themselves by ‘guaranteeing’ a place in the [...]
Penalty snatches Super win for Hurricanes
by AFP, 3 Mar 2012
Fly-half Beauden Barrett kicked his fifth penalty a minute from time to give Wellington Hurricanes a thrilling 30-28 Super Rugby victory over Golden Lions at Ellis Park on Friday. The lead changed eight times before the visitors atoned for the heaviest loss of the first round last weekend, when they finished 13 points behind Western [...]
Lions vs Hurricanes: Super Rugby live scores, blog
by The Crowd, 3 Mar 2012
The Lions will be looking to continue their momentum from round one when they take on the Hurricanes at Coca Cola Park at 4.10am (ADST) The reigning Currie Cup champions are on largely unfamiliar territory in being undefeated going into week two for the first time in three years, and they will fancy their chances [...]
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