The festive atmosphere around Ellis Park on Saturday was understandable, the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions had just been handed the South African shield - the regional sub competition within the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and their first trophy since joining the tournament.
On top of that they had just routed Sean Everitt’s Edinburgh, and moved to entrench their seventh spot on the standings, driving them forward with three more home fixtures before finishing off the regular season with two games in Ireland.
So it would be an understatement to say the Lions were enjoying themselves this weekend in Joburg.
But the champagne corks hadn’t finished popping and there was already a warning to keep their feet on the ground, because, while the SA Shield is a nice addition to the trophy cabinet, there are larger goals to still achieve.
Finishing in the top eight would be one - something that is closer than ever for the Lions and something they never have achieved yet. That would give them a place in the Investec Champions Cup and a place among European rugby elite, and it would give them some bragging rights on top of that among their South African franchise peers.
Their massive win over Edinburgh - the final scoreline read 54-17 - was a testament to their self-belief and the confidence that is flowing through this Lions team at the moment. Nobody is making any big claims, but they are quietly growing and could be a real threat if they get it right when the playoffs arrive.
For now though, coach Ivan van Rooyen is happy that the players are celebrating their well-deserved success in the Shield, but knows there is still a mountain to climb before the season is done.
We won’t get ahead of ourselves," Van Rooyen said.
"We won’t have a babalaas (hangover), and I don’t mean it in the alcohol sense. It was nice to win the SA Shield and get the trophy in Johannesburg in front of our fans, and we will take some nice pics with it, but I promise you come Monday morning it is back to work to prepare for the Dragons — Monday is the most important day of the week.
"We are proud of the achievement. This season, we spoke about being more consistent against the South African teams. The SA derbies are hugely competitive. I think South Africa is the only URC region where all four teams have won the shield. It is a reward for the hard work put in by the players and coaching staff. The guys are prepared to work hard.
"We are in a good place in terms of our work ethic. You can only play as well as you train."
Van Rooyen said a good, honest chat is necessary on Monday to ensure, despite the good result, that the focus remains on the goal.
“I think good, honest discussions. We currently start the week with an honest discussion of where we are and what we need to fix, and then we move on to getting the job done in terms of preparation. I'll be really disappointed if we get ahead of ourselves because we haven't showed that recently.
“We haven't talked about stuff like that, so we'll be honest with ourselves in the mirror. We also need to ID what's working for us and keep on working on that and what we need to fix. Every week is a new challenge, a new opportunity that normally goes hand in hand.
“Obviously, we'll enjoy this tonight, but we'll come in Monday morning ready to go.”
The Dragons will pose a different challenge for the Lions, as their gritty performance against the Stormers showed. But Van Rooyen knows the goal is within reach, if the team can keep their heads in the next few weeks.