Toothless Lions looks for redemption in Super 14

The Lions are looking to turn the corner after a trying Super 14 rugby season. A solid home win against the Waikato Chiefs saw the Lions get valuable points and, with one match to go, there is an opportunity to pull themselves off the bottom of the Super 14 log.

It will be a long and hard road to redemption. The Lions have consistently been the Super 14's whipping boys - a far cry from the 1993 Super 10 Champions led by Francois Pienaar.

It was that squad that formed the basis of the 1995 World Cup Winners. The players went on to affect South African rugby fundamentally, as coaches and commentators -- even negotiating South Africa's rugby players into the professional era.

Johannesburg, the financial hub of Africa, does not have an all conquering team to match the city's ambition. The young Lions squad is ambitious, they are a compact. They play good in halves but often lose games in 10 minute phases when they almost seem to go to sleep. They may have hot-blooded youngsters this season, preparing them for a more focused 2009 campaign, but only if the squad can remain and continue to fight for the pride of Johannesburg.