Lions face unique challenge
9 Jan 2013
The Lions will kick off their 2013 campaign against Russia next Saturday in the first of 12 matches at Ellis Park.
Having lost their Super Rugby status, the Joburg-based franchise has been forced to arrange fixtures against minnow nations, French and US clubs, and invitational sides that they hope will prepare them for their promotion-relegation tie against the last-place team in the SA conference.
The Lions will play the majority of their matches at home, which will please their fans, while travelling to California, Vancouver, Chicago and Windhoek.
Meanwhile, the GLRU is looking for a new naming-rights sponsor for Ellis Park after Coca-Cola opted not to renew their five-year, R12 million-a-year deal.
LIONS’ FIXTURES
19 January: vs Russia, Ellis Park (7pm)
26 January: vs Cheetahs, Ellis Park (5pm)
2 February: vs Bulls, Orlando Stadium (3pm)
9 February: vs Kings, Ellis Park (TBC)
23 February: vs Namibia in Windhoek (TBC)
16 March: vs Mont de Marsan, Ellis Park (7:30pm)
13 April: vs US Invitational, California (TBC)
20 April: vs North American Barbarians, Vancouver (TBC)
27 April: vs Chicago Lions, Chicago (TBC)
11 May: vs Agen, Ellis Park (3pm)
1 June: vs Samoa, Ellis Park (3pm)
8 June: vs French Barbarians, Ellis Park (2pm)
15 June: vs Stormers, Ellis Park (2pm)
21 June: vs Sharks, Ellis Park (7pm)
12 July: vs Montpellier, Ellis Park (7pm)
20 July: vs Grenoble, Ellis Park (2.30pm)
27 July: Promotion-relegation play-off, TBC (TBC)
3 August: Promotion-relegation play-off, Ellis Park (TBC)
103 Comments
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9 Jan 2013, 10:08 am
1 June: vs Samoa, Ellis Park (3pm)
Eish!
9 Jan 2013, 10:33 am
“please their fans” – what fans? Ellis park has no lions fans normally, ok maybe 5k the rest are bulls, stormers, sharks , cheetahs. Its a f@rkin disgrace. This union should disband.
9 Jan 2013, 10:37 am
@guangzhoupoes-1: Never mind that . I am looking forward to Feb the 9th vs the Kings !!!!!!!!
Also how about the Chicago game ?
9 Jan 2013, 11:14 am
@sparticus-3:
Save it Sparticus Maximus – that is (TBC) which means it will never happen. Why on earth would the Kings offer any kind of yardstick and satisfaction to the Lions? They won’t as it would be a poor decision to play some hack team and allow some kamikaze Lions chap looking to make a name for himself to take out a key player.
Another thing what of this line up is going to be telecast?
Ten tickets to each of the players friends and family and the groundsmen and secretaries and Feline women and PR ladies and the stadium will be able to hold another 59,000.
This is all a bad idea without any regard to planning for the 2 most important games that even SARU has yet to confirm for the 27 July and 3 August.
Then to top it off they have a supposed new saviour in a snor man who goes by the name of Manie who knows diddly squat about the merry go round of rugby admin and will be eaten alive like a ******** downing a poffertjie and a paling in one go.
The walls of the Lions den are crumbling and they are now outside the tent looking to win friends and influence people.
9 Jan 2013, 11:32 am
And another thing this trip to the USA from the 10-30 March for 3 weeks for 35 people at $400pd pp plus a roundtrip flight at R20K each for international & domestic travel is going to set someone back at least R3m and all of these games are TBC, so this is the Lions flying a kite to say we want to tour Namibia USA & Canada but have no sponsors nor TV coverage of the games.
You have to got to feel sorry for the Lions that everything they do is ill conceived and unreal and what we are witnessing here is a slow implosion of a once proud union.
9 Jan 2013, 11:47 am
@GordonGecko, are you a suite holder by chance? You are quite informed…
9 Jan 2013, 11:47 am
@Gordon Gekko-5: R20 k? Im sure they’ll not want to fly cattle class.
9 Jan 2013, 11:59 am
@Taahirah-7:
Who can blame them.
It’s not even fit for cattle.
9 Jan 2013, 12:33 pm
@Slappes-6: Slappes – want to take over a suite at Ellis Park?
Trade ins welcome – any Blackberry or Samsung Galaxy will do.
Will consider tickets at the circus for a swap. No takers on Gumtree yet!
9 Jan 2013, 12:49 pm
How the mighty have fallen… Spineless administrators, “ 3 year plan” coaches and greedy players all contributed to the downfall.
9 Jan 2013, 14:24 pm
@Slappes-2: Just shows you how much you know my mis informed friend! We have a competition called the Currie Cup, ( for your info when you are around a braai ). In that competition the Union that you want to disband, won the Cup with ease..no excuses my misinformed friend. This happened with a packed stadium with very little Sharks supporters, I was there, I should know. Where were you when the final took place? I would love to hear your answer!
9 Jan 2013, 14:35 pm
@Gordon Gekko-4: ” Why would the Kings offer any yardstick” Wow!! Amazing how stupid you sound! The Kings know that they will lose that game by a serious margin. You are talking about a hack team…did you manage to glance over the Kings squad? I doubt it becuase you are probably surfing porn and by accident stumbled across this Lions bashing website. It stuns me that you “know” so much…Hopefully you won’t disappear into the dark alleys of internet porn when all of these games materialize. The remarks and attitude stinks and you do not deserve to support ANY SA team nor the Boks. You are a real piece of work…
9 Jan 2013, 14:37 pm
@Charlie Naude-10: You are right Charlie, but that was becuase of Jannie Ferreira and co. The Lions will be back with a bang.
9 Jan 2013, 15:17 pm
Simon, you might want to double-check with the GLRU on their fixture list. The Chicago Lions say they aren’t playing them April 27th. They don’t have the money for it and, on top of that, they have play-offs that weekend. Who knows what other fixtures are wrong.
9 Jan 2013, 15:32 pm
Loyalloserlion = ignoramus. You are living in a dream world. You’re posts dont make any sense and then you revert to cheap jibes to compensate for your clear lack of knowledge. Read my and gordon’s (a suiteholder nonetheless) posts again… You are deflecting you stupidmofo.
9 Jan 2013, 15:55 pm
@Slappes-15: As if your posts make any sense. Cheap jibes? How does my posts not make sense? I am afraid you are the one with the lack of knowledge. Gordon is not a suiteholder, that I can promise you. Keep your k@k comments to yourself. If you have got nothing constructive to say, shut the F up!!
9 Jan 2013, 15:59 pm
@Loyal Lion-12: You sound like a moth eaten Lion in for rehab at the SPCA.
Listen dear passionate Lions supporter, I applaud your faithful dogged naive support of the Lions.
How you can leap from rugby to speculating I am a porn surfer is in fact quite incredulous and a clear sign of a desperate Lion moron supporter. Make that a cretin.
The facts are:
– The Lions are out of Super Rugby in 2013
– Have lost a R12m a year sponsor
– Have had their sponsor budgets – read MTN – slashed by 50% on account of them not being in Super Rugby in 2013
– Have discounted – read desperately in a fire sale – the suite renewals by 50% to generate cash flows from what once was 35% of their revenues – so that would make it less than 17% of revenues
– the Lions have no rugby inventory for 2013 to replace the 2013 Super Rugby and instead have some bogus fixture list with close to half the games being To Be Confirmed (TBC) with the same fixture list in the tiniest of small print stating: The Lions reserve the right to change the fixtures – is hardly a statement of confidence
- the Lions have a new CEO – Manie Booysen – who is a wet behind the ears tired old hack “change management” agent from Richards Bay that loves watching rugby and who can barely change the locks of his booze cabinet let alone bring about change at the Lions and ready them for August.
– the Lions have a control freak VP at the Lions that is handicapping the Lions management with his own seconded Glasfit management also new to thugby, I mean rugby admin
- the Lions have a President in Kevin de Klerk that behave more like a confused linesman at a high school game than a tough guy Springbok lock forward that we would like to believe he is. The man is kitty whipped and flip flops from one decision to another
– then the Lions players, where do we start, well we can start with the migration of talent to 5 other unions and then some overseas, but the real issue here is that there has been an exodus of players and the Lions U21′s are being signed up left right and under the nose of the Lions management.
So now Loyal Lion how is Manie Booysen going to fix something from U13 Craven Week through to a quasi super rugby lite team wanting to play super rugby but can’t and maybe never will again if they lose the 2 promo/relegation games, manage the Community Cup team, the Vodacom Cup team, the Varsity Cup teams, the clubs who are not entirely happy and rightfully so that a mutiny is imminent and a restless Soweto Rugby Club that wishes to defect on account of latent racism and favouritism r cronism in the ranks of the management at the Lions, add to that the referees issues and the lack of cash with no fixtures and suite holders and season ticket holders heading to the nearest SS TV broadcast and you have a pretty tough and grim outlook for 2013 in spite of some chatter on social media pages that all is well and the Russians have landed.
In short Loyal Lion you have the Lions in deep, very deep doo doo matter and there is absolutely no hint of any rescue plan or white knight on the horison to sort out the hele hart long poephol en tong problems at Ellis Park.
Now if you were a young 18-23 year old player and all this BS and uncertainty is swirling around you, what would you do? Say to your agent – get me the hell out of here.
Want me to go on?
9 Jan 2013, 16:08 pm
@Gordon Gekko-17: Thanks for taking it upon yourself to stage an intervention for all the loyal Lions fans (of which I am one).
I appreciate the trouble you took to compose that love letter but tell us something we don’t know. We know all that stuff. But our team is our team and we’ll be back playing Super Rugby next year.
9 Jan 2013, 16:17 pm
@Kid_Senekal-18: Kid – I too am a loyal Lions fan but for heavens sake man enough is enough buggering around like it is amateur hour.
What you say that we’ll be back is pure horse manure.
How on earth could you possibly say something like that?
It is not a given and the Lions have an Everest to climb and then to play 2 freekin tough promo/relegation matches back to back in August and assume you will win both is nuts and delusional.
The facts are the Lions are now the underdogs and more likely to lose than win these two matches and if they lose they are right royally rogered and if they win, which is a tough ask, they then have to renegotiate new sponsors and build up a war chest to sign on and attract players and they do not have any money now.
This is pure and simple a recipe for a monumental disaster.
And no we are not assured the Lions will be playing Super Rugby in 2014 or even 2015.
Now there is a thought.
9 Jan 2013, 16:22 pm
@LoyalMoronLion, read gordons post LOL!….you brandsiekkaravaan-bosveld-dom-onnosele-leeu.
9 Jan 2013, 16:25 pm
@Gordon Gekko-17: You, for some reason know it all hey!
Let me tell you that yes I am a desperate Lions supporter. We know all about hard times my friend and I doubt that you have it in you to stay loyal after all this is going on. You have mentioned facts and nobody can deny that, but then you blast people that you have no clue about. From the new CEO to the players! Shocking from someone that if you glance quickly knows it all. we all knew that when SARU decided to give Cheeky what he wanted, there will be financial implications for the Lions. The Lions are coping and it is your opinion that we have no schedule for this year. The migration of players is due to us not playing S15 and yet we still have decent players at the park that will still be competative, unlike the Kings! In every province you have problems with the clubs. WP had problems and The Sharks.
My point is that for some reason you have this self appointed know it all Lions bashing attitude. This makes you look stupid.
9 Jan 2013, 16:27 pm
@Slappes-20: Hoekom gaan pak jy nie jou skooltassie reg nie en los die vir manne wat weet. Jou naam se dit als!
9 Jan 2013, 16:29 pm
@Gordon Gekko-19: Stop labelling yourself as a Lions supporter. That statement is a joke. I am not even sure you know who you support…
9 Jan 2013, 16:29 pm
*sigh* lmfao
9 Jan 2013, 16:30 pm
Domastrante-verraaier!
9 Jan 2013, 16:31 pm
@Loyal Lion-21: Loyal Lion now you admit the drol is nou in die drinkwater at the Lions?
What is stupid is your daft outlook in trying to put the blame on the Kings or Cheeky Watson for the Lions wee wee poor performance at Super Rugby and then to toss out a line that surf porn.
These are comments from a desperate man.
9 Jan 2013, 16:31 pm
@Slappes-24: sigh, I wish I could kick your ***!
9 Jan 2013, 16:36 pm
@Gordon Gekko-26: It is going to be tough, that I admit. Blaming the Kings and Cheeky for our poor performances…no. The reason why I said you are surfing porn is because you are making statements that shows your integrity!
9 Jan 2013, 16:37 pm
Sad to see the state of this union, it really is.
9 Jan 2013, 16:39 pm
@loyallion, you are a ****** so why dont you try kicking own @ss. Lol!
9 Jan 2013, 16:40 pm
R e t a r d = loyal spoegenplak lion
9 Jan 2013, 16:46 pm
Jokes aside this is a sad end to a once proud union that provided us with some great boks.
Lets hope the kings take up the slack.
9 Jan 2013, 16:52 pm
@Gunther, kings will not do that in 1 year. Its going to be ugly but hey Saru voted!
9 Jan 2013, 16:55 pm
The Lions will be back in 2014! Just wait and see and this time they won’t take it for granted. maybe this is just what the Lions needed.
9 Jan 2013, 16:56 pm
@Loyal Lion-28: Well there you have it then – imposing your gutter mentality because of your frustration at the Lions inability to plan.
Integrity? What on earth are you gabbing about? The Lions are either in or out of Super Rugby and how do they best market the franchise so that it is sustainable instead of being put on a doomed pathway.
I would suggest you stockpile your Klippies & Coke for the next year as you are going to need it.
9 Jan 2013, 17:01 pm
So loyallion when does your nap time start at Weskoppies? And how did you manage to get a pc? Bleddiemalhaas
9 Jan 2013, 17:05 pm
@Gordon, so who would you have preferred as ceo?
9 Jan 2013, 17:06 pm
@Gordon Gekko-35: Gordon, please learn something today. If you don’t know everything it is okay to admit that and also if you don’t have something constructive to say, like I told old looney slappes, shut up!
9 Jan 2013, 17:07 pm
@Slappes-37: Talking to Gordon as if he is a Lions supporter or even a suite holder…what a joke!!
9 Jan 2013, 17:18 pm
@Slappes-37: There have to be candidates around that can bring experience and relationships from rugby related to sponsorship to broadcasting.
The Lions must have had a shortlist of such candidates that are a no nonsense negotiator. But you raise a good point they better keep that list handy as a family man with years of corporate meat packing & engineering experience is as out of place as a Blue Bulls supporter sitting in the stands at Boland Rugby
9 Jan 2013, 17:20 pm
@Slappes-2: I dont know Slappes – I think its kinda cool. Im impressed at the fixture list they put together, and what rugby administrators can do when they pull their finger out their hol!
I would love the Stormers to be playing games like these! Imagine Stormers vs Samoa… awesome
Wel gedaan Leeus
9 Jan 2013, 17:23 pm
@Loyal Lion-38: Loyal Lion you have to learn today and right now that people have differences of opinion and if they differ with yours and you can debate it, then that is good.
So not every Lions supporter is like you with a fat boep a false Josh Strauss beard and klaps a 750ml Klippies with a can of coke.
We do also eat in the Touchdown restaurant and Presidents suite and sometimes the Legends suite.
9 Jan 2013, 17:25 pm
@bokfan1-41: Uiteindelik!! Jou naam se dit als Bokfan. Ek het net so gevoel dat die Stormers die titel gaan vat. Ek het gese as die WP die Leeus en Sharks op hulle tuisvelde kan wen in die CC, is die Supertitel hulle s’n
9 Jan 2013, 17:29 pm
@Gordon Gekko-42: I agree and you are not one of them. The sad thing is that by labelling people and trying to humiliate is not an opinion. Go and check up the definition of an opinion..
9 Jan 2013, 17:33 pm
Respect for sticking by your team through thick and thin Loyal Lion.
It’s strange that guys like Francois Pienaar and some of the other players from the 90′s era don’t step in and say ” enough is enough”
They have a mountain to climb, that’s for sure, but guess it’s time for them to show whether they want it or not.
9 Jan 2013, 17:43 pm
@nortierd-45: I agree Nortierd, it’s time to stand up and be counted!
9 Jan 2013, 17:45 pm
@Loyal Lion-44: And while you are looking up big words Loyal Lion, look up hypocrite and bigot and see how they apply to you.
You really should seek help for your confused thinking and attend those anger management classes at your local church hall.
By the way you don’t lick windows do you?
9 Jan 2013, 17:48 pm
@Gordon, lol ! Fat boep etc. I wouldve roped in TonyMckeever as ceo.
9 Jan 2013, 17:49 pm
@47 Gordon, lmfao!
9 Jan 2013, 17:51 pm
what a funny thread!
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