The Lions exited the EPCR Challenge Cup in the cruellest of ways as they fought to a 20-all draw with French side Perpignan in a dramatic final pool game but went out on points difference.
With both sides coming into the final game with six points, and the winner-takes-all scenario set to play out, the Lions led 20-10 going into the last quarter but allowed the home side to come back at them, and never gave themselves the chance to win the game.
On the stroke of fulltime flyhalf Chris Smith had the option of a long-range penalty to go for the win in driving rain, but chose to go for the sideline, with Perpignan holding out and winning a penalty on their own line to seal their place in the Round of 16.
Why the Lions didn’t look for a drop goal for Smith in those final moments only they will know, but while it was brave and dramatic, it will go down as another failure for the Ellis Park side under coach Ivan van Rooyen.
The team lost leads against Benetton and Newcastle in their first two games to go down in both of those, and while they beat a young Lyon side last week, they were taken to the wire at home.
In short, their performances have been underwhelming, and while they fought hard in France and should have gotten the win, their inconsistency and failure to land knockout blows has cost them several times over the season, as it has in the last six seasons before this.
The point is, while the Lions have some superb players, something is still missing and it comes through hard in moments like this.
Having done all the hard work to get themselves so close to the playoffs, to lose out like this is very disappointing, but it will probably paper over the cracks for a while.
The Lions certainly have the players but their failure in all competitions over the past few seasons has all the same hallmarks.
Brave, gritty performances and moments of pure rugby bliss, followed by problems and losses in games they should have won.
ARM-WRESTLE
They may not have lost on a cold, wet night in Perpignan, but it certainly felt that way.
Because while the Lions dominated the set piece, winning several scrum penalties and seeing their maul dominate throughout, there wasn’t enough enterprise to take the game away from the home team, who looked dangerous when they got the ball and had the Lions backpedalling on several occasions.
But still, this is a game the Lions should have won. It was clear they needed to use their dominance up front more when they forced a penalty try in the 21st minute.
That came after sustained pressure and a number of infringements by the home side and forced the referee to have no other option but to raise his arm under the posts.
At that stage Perpignan were leading 3-0 after an early penalty by Antoine Aucagne and seemed to have the better of broken play exchanges.
They lost Ignacio Ruiz with the penalty try to a yellow and the Lions seemed to have the upper hand, especially when Smith put them further ahead with a penalty.
But Joaquin Oviedo crossed on the half hour mark to get them back on level terms and it stayed that way until the end of the first half.
It became an arm-wrestle as both Aucagne and Smith missed drop goal attempts before the latter put the Lions into the lead on the hour mark with a penalty.
But with 17 minutes to go, the Lions took the game by the scruff of the neck as PJ Botha marched over at the back of a dominant ruck to put them 10 points ahead.
Perpignan came back at them hard, and it wasn’t long before they were bombarding the Lions in their own half.
The telling moment came when Freddy Duguivalu picked up from the base of the ruck and charged over in a bullocking run to get the try.
The home side kept the pressure up and Aucagne brought them level with a long-range penalty in the 73rd minute, with the crowd baying them on as they knew a draw would be enough to get them through at the expense of the Lions.
With four minutes to go Smith had the option, but after throwing a blade of grass in the air decided against a march-winning kick at posts, opting for the corner.
It seemed inevitable that in a season of the Lions being almost as good as they needed to be, their inner problems may come to the fore again.
Perpignan tackled and waited for the opportunity, and when they saw the Lions weren’t lining up the drop kick, went hard at the breakdown, inevitably winning the penalty to keep themselves alive in the competition.
The Lions will leave with a whimper, knowing this was another game they should have won.
But their fans will be used to that, another premature exit from another competition. And wonder when change might come.
For now, though, the European campaign is over, and the URC is the only thing to look forward to.
PERPIGNAN - tries: Joaquin Ovido, Freddy Duguivalu. Conversions: Antoine Aucagne (2). Penalties: Aucagne (2).
LIONS - tries: PJ Botha, Penalty try. Conversion: Chris Smith. Penalties: Smith (2).