The Lions have developed an unfortunate habit of turning promising performances into spectacular implosions, and unless they cure their Jekyll-and-Hyde rugby, they will never become a top-performing team in European competitions.
Last week’s 57-15 demolition by the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld was the latest reminder of their vulnerability, and now they must pick themselves up for one of the most intimidating assignments in European rugby: a Champions Cup showdown against two-time champions La Rochelle in the French fortress of Stade Marcel-Deflandre.
The Lions can produce rugby as devastating as their Loftus defeat was damaging. They hammered Edinburgh 54-17 and Glasgow Warriors 54-12 at Ellis Park in March and April, but those performances sit uneasily alongside a series of heavy defeats that expose their inconsistency.
The Bulls thrashed them 52-17 at Ellis Park in January before Leinster administered a brutal lesson in the URC quarter-finals in Dublin in May, winning 59-10. The latest 50-point defeat at Loftus means the Lions have conceded at least 50 points three times in the URC over the past year, although they have also crossed that threshold twice themselves.
The problem is not a lack of firepower. It is the inability to sustain their best rugby when the pressure rises.
Lions assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher believes the Loftus scoreline was not a true reflection of his team’s ability, but he knows the response must come on the field rather than in the dressing room.
“It was a tough, honest review on Monday where we looked at the things we need to do better,” Loubscher said.
“It’s all about the execution of your role and your job. Did we do our jobs? Did we do our roles as well as we could? Obviously not.”
Loubscher said the Lions had to sharpen their attacking and defensive plans, but, more importantly, rediscover the intent that had been missing against the Bulls.
“It was good to walk out of that meeting knowing that, from our point of view, we were not ourselves, not good enough, and made too many errors against the Bulls.
“We know this weekend is a different challenge facing one of the top teams in Europe, so our main objective is to get a response from the team.
“We know the collisions will be a big part of the game and our execution must go a level up.”
That is easier said than done against La Rochelle, whose home ground is renowned for an atmosphere that can make life miserable for visiting teams. The French giants thrive on their supporters' energy, and Loubscher, who has coached in France with Stade Français, knows the importance of surviving the opening exchanges.
“One of the big things in France is the pre-game atmosphere; there’s a massive vibe and the French teams play with a lot of passion,” he said.
“The important thing for us is to start well and make sure we silence the crowd because they love to get their supporters behind them.”
Loubscher expects conditions to play a significant role, but insists the Lions must concentrate on what they can control: their own decision-making and execution.
“They like to play unstructured rugby and score tries from everywhere on the field, but from our point of view it’s all about our intent; what we take into the game, and our execution must go up a level.”
For the Lions, the challenge is to turn their review into a meaningful response.
“The big focus against La Rochelle is just to ensure we play according to our different menus,” he said.
“There’s a menu for attack and defence, but it all comes down to our intent in terms of our execution in our jobs.
“If we can get that right with more alignment and clarity in how we play, we can turn those opportunities around into points.”