HAVING ended the regular season as top seeds on the overall Super Rugby standings, I believe the Lions can go all the way and win the competition this term. This year, the Lions are in the pound seats and they will be confident of winning at home.
It will be something of an adjustment for them this year because, owing to the Super Rugby format which is a joke, they haven't faced any New Zealand teams. However, you would have to say the stars are aligned for the pride of Johannesburg to win the competition for the first time in their history.
The Lions' success lies in the fact that they have been together for so long. The core of the team played relegation rugby for the franchise four years ago, and when you retain the same group of coaches and players you build continuity and an intrinsic understanding both on and off the field.
In my book, there is no substitute for continuity and I always bang on about it because of the value it offers a team down the line.
The Lions have morphed into a well-rounded unit, with many strings to their bow. You write the Lions off at your own peril because they are very confident to take on any team in the world and win. They have a good balance to their play, are renowned for keeping the ball alive and encourage an offloading game. Last season's Super Rugby runners-up play in the right areas of the field, and regularly ask questions of their opponents with ball in hand.
Many pundits still maintain a New Zealand team will win Super Rugby this season due to their formidable form and win rate in the competition. However, the Lions will have other ideas and will be determined to give Johan Ackermann the perfect send-off before he assumes his position at Gloucester.
Ackermann will add great value to the Premiership side having basically taken the Lions, who were down and out, and built them up into potential Super Rugby champions.
It terms of building a team from the bottom up, it's almost equivalent to what Rob Baxter has done at Exeter Chiefs by taking them out of the Championship and turning them into a solid force.
Ackermann clearly has a skill to do that as well and I hope he will be given time at Gloucester. I also hope expectations won't be too high, too quickly, because that is pretty much the cancer in professional sport.
