What may seem like an exceptional opportunity for the Lions to bolster their hopes in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship may come under threat by the newest crisis enveloping Welsh rugby.
The Johannesburg side’s heartbreaking draw with Perpignan this past weekend, which ended their time in Europe and saw them exit the EPCR Challenge Cup before the playoff rounds, does mean they can now focus all their attention on trying to secure a top eight spot in the URC for the first time.
It would make sense for the side to have a solitary focus to try and escape the same pitfalls that have tripped them up in every season under coach Ivan van Rooyen and with the emergence of some top young talent such as SA under-20 stars Batho Hlekani and Haashim Pead, combined with their Springbok contingent of Morne van den Berg, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Ruan Venter and Quan Horn, the Lions certainly have the talent to do so.
But part of that will be making sure they win games they shouldn’t lose against sides they feel they can go head to head with.
Taking points away from home is a massive advantage and the Lions have already recorded a win at Loftus Versfeld against the struggling Vodacom Bulls.
They face Welsh side Ospreys this coming weekend and the Welsh side have just three wins from nine games this season and should be a team that the Lions can target away from home.
But the newest crisis in Welsh rugby - the Welsh Rugby Union’s decision to favour Ospreys' majority shareholders, Y11, in the bidding process to buy Cardiff - could easily complicate that.
The gist of the deal - if Y11 do get the deal through - is likely to mean a merging of Ospreys and Cardiff into a Welsh “Super club” that will see Swansea’s participation in top flight rugby basically erased.
Welsh rugby websites have been overflowing with fan anger at the prospect, with a number of former players also criticising the decisions of the WRU and seeing it as a means to erase Ospreys from the professional rugby map.
That may be a bit far-fetched, but the anger is certainly real, and that may well be a bigger opponent for the Lions than initially intended.
One way for the Ospreys to send a message to the WRU is through their performances on the field and while the Welsh regions have underperformed across the board - there isn’t one Welsh side left in the Investec Champions Cup for instance - that doesn’t mean they can’t turn in some impressive performances when the motivation is there for them to do so.
We have seen enough examples in sport to know that a local crisis and a lot of anger can turn a side into more than they normally offer, and the Lions will need to be wary of this as they head into the match on Friday night.
But the way they played for parts of the match against Perpignan, and if there is some consistency in selection, could be the perfect springboard for a good victory to exploit the unhappiness in Wales right now.
As always though, the side that the Lions pick for the game will determine how serious they are about trying to pick up five points away from home.
Either way, the chaos in Wales makes the Ospreys difficult opposition and a team that can easily put up a fight.
The Lions will need to be at their best if they want to take a step forward in their URC campaign.