The Fidelity Securedrive Lions gave themselves a massive vote of confidence as they smashed Vodacom United Rugby Championship log leaders Glasgow Warriors 54-12 in their match at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Glasgow may have made nine changes and put a bunch of their regulars on the bench, but the intent shown by the Lions in scoring early and maintaining the dominance throughout the game would have meant so much to a team that has never finished in the top eight in the URC before.
They may still have a long road to the playoffs - with three Irish sides ahead of their finish - but there are few that can argue that there is something special going on at Ellis Park right now.
The Fidelity SecureDrive lions move up into fourth on the #VURC table 🦁🔝#SSRugby pic.twitter.com/d71yYMMG6T
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) April 18, 2026
Earlier in the week the talk was how the Lions needed to counter Glasgow at the breakdown and what emerged was a masterclass in dominance in this area.
DOMINANT BREAKDOWN
No less than seven first-half penalties were won in the first half alone at the breakdown, and a further three in the second, underlining just where the difference in intent was between the two sides.
To be fair, Glasgow couldn’t get any momentum, and were stopped in their tracks - especially in the first half, whenever they tried to gain some traction, with the Lions exceptional in attacking the breakdown area.
Glasgow will see this as a blip, but their loss and the Stormers’ loss on the same afternoon opens the door just a little bit for teams like the Lions and the Bulls, if they can maintain the momentum for the next three weeks.
This was the second fifty pointer at Ellis Park over a Scottish franchise - the Lions did a similar number on Edinburgh a few weeks back - and showed that when they get on a roll, the Joburg side is very hard to stop.
LIONS NOW WITHIN THREE POINTS OF STORMERS
The Lions now sit in fourth spot, three behind Leinster and the Stormers. Yes, read that again. They are within striking distance of the top two after beating the top side in the competition.
Two players in particular are examples of just the difference in the team as opposed to previous seasons. Siba Mahashe - the young upstart that was everywhere on the field, scored a try and was hard to miss, and Erich Cronje, the grizzly team man who never gives up.
The two of them topped the tackle stats in the game, had try assists and were exceptional in their all-round play.
Add to that the play of stalwarts like Ruan Venter, Francke Horn and PJ Botha and the Lions pack had some bite, but out wide there was just as much dog in the fight as was needed. Glasgow never stood a chance.
The visitors barely had time to catch their breath when the Lions surged ahead with intent, and a recycled attack found Henco van Wyk going over for the first of his two tries.
Erich Cronje finishes a free-flowing Fidelty SecureDrive Lions' move 🦁🔴
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) April 18, 2026
📺 Stream #VURC on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/fREnMATaDt
A few minutes later they scored again - this time through Cronje after Mahashe made inroads upfield and Horn was the link between the two before the ball got to Cronje on the wing to go over.
PLAN CAME TOGETHER FOR LIONS
Everything the Lions did went to plan. A powerful scrum in the 19th minute earned a penalty. A tap and go set up a quick ball that was spread to Van Wyk to score under the posts.
The bonus point came on the stroke of halftime, when Asenathi Ntlabakanye and SJ Kotze got the big boys running with the latter crashing over for the try.
At 26-7 halftime, these Lions were purring.
Venter crashed over early in the second half and the game was basically done and dusted.
Glasgow captain Stafford McDowall gave the Warriors a bit of hope with a stunning try off a lineout move that got them into double figures.
But the Lions weren’t done. Horn’s elusive run in a broken field moment, beating the Glasgow winger on the outside, set up Morne van der Berg’s try.
But the best two tries were left to last, where the Lions' counter attack saw Angelo Davids release Mahashe for a 60m-run to score and a beauty of a chicken wing back pass from Cronje put Quan Horn away to finish the game in style.
He beats one, then beats another 😤🦁
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) April 18, 2026
Quan Horn finishes it off in style at Ellis Park 🏉#VURC | #SSRugby pic.twitter.com/AgTLjjOoTX
These Lions may not be the finished product, but when they are on song, there are few teams that can cope with them.
And with three games left in the regular competition, just how much can they dare to dream?
SCORES
Fidelity Securedrive Lions - tries: Henco van Wyk (2), Erich Cronje, SJ Kotze, Ruan Venter, Morne van den Berg, Siba Mahashe, Quan Horn. Conversions: Chris Smith (7)
Glasgow Warriors - tries: Dan Lancaster, Stafford McDowall. Conversion: Josh McKay.