And just like that the Fidelity Securedrive Lions' season ended with the softest of whimpers and no sign of a roar, as defending Vodacom United Rugby Championship champs Leinster smashed them 59-10 in their quarterfinal on Saturday night.
The Leinster win allowed them to bounce back from their loss to Bordeaux-Begles in the Investec Champions Cup final and set themselves up for a Dublin showdown with the DHL Stormers next weekend.
On a night where the Lions had hoped to impress, they produced probably their worst performance in two seasons, but definitely the worst of the current season as they looked jaded, lost and as if they had wandered into the Aviva stadium after two weeks of holiday in the Irish capital.
Leinster were always going to be motivated to bounce back, and the backlash was always going to be real.
But what wasn’t expected was the way the Lions submitted so easily, and lost virtually every contest on the field.
Leinster got the job done and booked their place in the final four. 👀
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) May 30, 2026
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LIONS LOOKED LOST
They looked lost, devoid of leaders and it made one wonder just how much they had lost when Bok scrumhalf Morne van den Berg joined Ruan Venter on the injured list.
Without this duo and the banned Asenathi Ntlabakanye, there was little go-forward from the Lions and a lot less passion on the field.
For a side that prides itself on momentum and transition play, they were on the back foot for the majority of the game and never even came close to making Leinster stumble.
It was a performance that would make many of their fans wonder if they were quite content to have made the top eight for the first time, and one which reflects badly on their campaign.
In a way it shouldn’t be a surprise - the best result outside South Africa for the Lions was a draw with the Ospreys, and while they are a different beast on the Highveld, once they board a plane they forget how to win.
Considering the side left South Africa in third position on the log, the last three games in Ireland, losing twice to Leinster and to Munster, negated a lot of the good work earlier in the season.
Injuries were a key factor, but early on in this game Leinster managed to unlock the defence with ease and never looked back.
LEINSTER GOT AWAY TO A FLYER
For the Lions to have any chance they would have needed to physically dominate Leinster, as Bordeaux did, keep the scoreboard ticking and not let Leinster get away to an early lead.
On all three accounts they failed, and failed badly. It wasn’t 15 minutes into the game and Leinster were already 14-0 up, and should have been further ahead had Jimmy O’Brien not been held up over the line.
The first try came from a Hugo Keenan break, and the subsequent pressure left Dan Sheehan alone on the wing, and after 14 phases of battering when he got the ball there was only one way and that was over the line.
Keenan ghosted through a gap in the 15th minute to add his name to the scoreboard, but even when the Lions showed some resolve and took the game to Leinster thereafter, they were their own worst enemies.
Their lineout faltered, their kicking game was poor and when both Quan Horn and Chris Smith punted out on the full, you realised it wasn’t going to be their night.
To beat Leinster in Dublin you need to do the basics right, have a bit of luck and then take it to them.
Nothing on that account for the Lions.
CLARKSON SHOULD HAVE SEEN RED
Leinster had all the luck. Especially against a mediocre opponent. Tom Clarkson received his marching orders for picking Nico Steyn up, upending him and dumping him on his head.
A yellow was the obvious first step, but how the bunker decided it wasn’t red is beyond understanding.
If dropping a player on his head isn’t warranted a red, then it makes a mockery of the head contact laws.
It wouldn’t have mattered, even though Henco van Wyk burrowed his way over shortly afterwards. That was almost all the joy for the evening for the Lions.
Van Wyk added a second with a kick through late in the game, but by that time the final score was only of academic value for everyone involved.
Henco van Wyk had another one in him. 🔥
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) May 30, 2026
Giving the @LionsRugbyCo something to take from it. 👏
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Because James Ryan negated that try by going over from close range on the stroke of halftime and Scott Perry scored just after the break to take the game away from the Lions forever.
And when Sam Prendergast intercepted a ball that bounced out of Chris Smith’s hands as he was being savagely tackled to the ground and ran 50 metres, they should have called fulltime and put the Lions out of their misery.
Instead it became a celebration as James Lowe scored twice to break Leinster’s all time scoring record in his 100th match and Gus McCarthy and O’Brien added their names to the scoresheet before the Lions limped off the field.
To say it was one-sided would be an understatement. To say the Lions never turned up would be a bit cruel. But there was certainly only one side with the hunger to stay in the competition, and it wasn’t the one that had been in Dublin for the past three weeks.
Scorers
Leinster - tries: Dan Sheehan, Hugo Keenan, James Ryan, Scott Penny, Sam Prendergast, Gus McCarthy, Jimmy O’Brien, James Lowe (2). Conversions: Sam Prendergast (7).
Fidelity Securedrive Lions - tries: Henco van Wyk (2)