Crossword Genius

The pride of rugby? (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lions

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'the pride' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'of rugby?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'of' could be 'o' and 'o' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'lins' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lions that I've seen before include "Roaring cats" , "Big cats" , "Wild cats" , "Beastly kings" , "Large carnivores" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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