What They Need Now Is a Superman: Can Anyone Get The Lions To Win Again?

Can anyone remember the Lions winning the super 10 in 1993? With a team of which 14 of the starting players would then go on to represent the Springboks. A team lead by Francois Pienaar. A team coached by Kitch Christie. A team that went on a famous 19 run unbeaten streak. A team that is a world away from the current Lions team. 

Since that famous unbeaten streak, time hasn't been very good to the boys from Jo'burg. The last time they appeared in a final was in 2007. And even then they lost 20-18 to the Free State Cheetahs.

I, for one, am not surprised by this. You would be forgiven for thinking that maybe the problem lies in a lack of talent from the surrounding area? You would be wrong. Let me give you some names, and you tell me what they have in common.

1. Schalk Brits

2. Rory Kocket

3. Andre Pretorious

4. Joe van Niekerk

5. Jaques Fourie

6. Bryan Habana

Can't guess? They all played for the Lions at one point or another. And that's not an exhaustive list. How can a side expect to be successful when they let talent like this slip through their fingers?

Fitness, too, could be the key issue at my the Lions just cant win. An audit by Jake White was particularly severe on the poor physical conditioning of the player and the poor defence displayed by the union.

A coach change later just saw more of the same. The game after Eloff's sacking proved to be a 74-10 drubbing by the British and Irish Lions.

In comes Dick Muir, former Shark's coach and current Springbok back line coach. Muir is successful, several productive seasons with the Sharks have proved this.

Maybe he can be the Superman that the Lions so desperately seen to turn their fortunes around. 

Can he address the talent drain? The poor defence? And create a winning attitude that takes Lions fans everywhere back the Kitch days?

Only time will tell.