The Lions, a South African professional rugby union team , was founded in 1996. Formerly, the team was known as the Cats and it was in 2006 that the name changed to the Lions. The squad plays home matches in Ellis Park Stadium, the site of the 1995 World Cup Final won by the Springboks. The Lions squad competes in the Super Rugby League, has made it to the semi-finals 5 times (in 2000, 2001, 2016, 2017 and 2018) and has been on the pitch in the finals 3 times (2016, 2017 & 2018).
