Preview: Lions v Sharks

Editor

The Lions and Sharks meet for the second time in as many weeks in what should be a thrilling Super Rugby quarter-final at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The Lions had more to play for last weekend with top spot up for grabs whereas the Sharks could not improve on their eighth position.

This weekend the Sharks will have it all to play for but without the added pressure of being favourites, a tag that falls on the shoulders of the Lions.

And Sharks winger Kobus Van Wyk, who scored the Sharks' only try of the game last weekend, is relishing being labelled as the underdog.

“You never know what can happen with the underdog,” Van Wyk said.

Although they are the biblical David in this clash with Goliath, there is a measure of self-belief in the team.

“After the defeat, we obviously didn’t feel great, but we returned to training on Monday and the boys are ready, our heads are in the right place,”added Van Wyk.

“After losing to them twice, hopefully it will be a case of third time lucky.

“They’re a very good outfit, but if we can put pressure on their playmakers and if our forwards pitch up and win the contests, we are going to be in business.”

Beating the Lions won’t be easy, but there is a plan and it’s about maintaining ball possession when they have it, and then closing out the opportunities.

“Keeping the ball – that’s what we need to do to win,” he points out. “Our strike rate from scrums and lineouts wasn’t that great on Saturday, so we need to make sure for the first few phases that we need to hang on to the ball.

“It would be awesome to beat them up there, the boys are really keen. We’re ready to fire.”

Meanwhile, the Lions will feel that this is their best opportunity to go one better than last season and win the competition for the first time in their history, having lost to the Hurricanes in the 2016 final.

Coach Johan Ackermann has done a great job over the years of getting the side to this point where they are genuine challengers and the team would love to give him a fitting send-off as he departs at the end of the season take over the reins at Gloucester.

A win would give Ackermann's men their 13th win on the bounce, which would represent the longest winning streak ever by a South African team, eclipsing the 12-game streak set by the Bulls across 2009 and 2010.

The Lions have won the last five meetings between these teams, after earning just two wins and a draw from their 13 clashes prior. This will also be the first time these teams have met in the Finals.

Although the Sharks have played in more Finals fixtures, they do not have a great record when playing away from home. The Sharks have scored just 12 points in their last three Finals fixtures away from home, including a tally of zero when they travelled to Wellington in last season's quarter-finals.

The last time the teams met: The sides met last weekend with the Lions coming away 27-10 victors in Durban. The Sharks had the better of the first half and were unlucky to go into the break trailing 13-10. But the Lions asserted their dominance in the second half, scoring 14 unanswered points. The Lions scored through Malcolm Marx, Andries Coetzee and Jaco Kriel whereas the Sharks scored through a sole Kobus Van Wyk try.

Players to watch: Watch out for Ruan Combrinck, who will be fired up for his 50th appearance. Combrinck has scored five tries in his last four games for the Lions since returning from injury. The 27-year-old is a clinical finisher and will gobble up any opportunities presented to him. 

Curwin Bosch, despite only being 20 years of age, is a young man the Sharks depend on. As his side's goal-kicker, Bosch is indispensable to the Sharks' cause as they opt for poles more than any other side in the competition. The Sharks have slotted 47 penalty goals this season, no other side has landed more than 31. Bosch has scored 140 points in this year's competition, the second highest of any player.  

Team news: Ruan Combrinck will make his 50th appearance for the Lions when they host the Sharks. Combrinck lines up on the right wing as Lions head coach Johan Ackermann names the same matchday squad which beat the Sharks in their final regular season match in Durban last weekend. The run-on side includes 10 Springboks and will be captained by openside flanker Jaco Kriel, who took over the leadership role from regular skipper Warren Whiteley who is injured.

The Sharks have recalled Curwin Bosch to their side and he will start at fly-half for this Super Rugby Qualifier. Bosch takes over from Garth April in the number 10 jersey in the only change to their starting XV. Amongst the reserves, Franco Marais, who has been on the sidelines with concussion, is bracketed on the bench with Stephan Coetzee, pending a late call.

Form: The Lions lost just one of their 15 games, with that defeat coming against the Jaguares. But significantly they have yet to face New Zealand opposition.

The Sharks have struggled for consistency at times, managing nine wins in their 15 games. Since a four-match winning streak from Rounds 2-6, they have been unable to put together a sustained run of wins.

Prediction: The Lions will have too much firepower, especially at home. Lions by 15.

Previous results:

2017: Lions won 27-10 in Durban
2017: Lions won 34-29 in Johannesburg
2016: Lions won 37-10 in Johannesburg
2016: Lions won 24-9 in Durban
2015: Lions won 23-21 in Johannesburg
2015: Sharks won 29-12 in Durban
2014: Sharks won 25-12 in Johannesburg
2014: Sharks won 37-23 in Durban

The teams: 

Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Ruan Ackermann, 7 Kwagga Smith, 6 Jaco Kriel (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Jacques van Rooyen 
Replacements: 16 Akker vd Merwe, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Johannes Jonker, 19 Lourens Erasmus, 20 Cyle Brink, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 23 Sylvian Mahuza

Sharks: 15 Lwazi Mvovo, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 S’busiso Nkosi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Philip van der Walt (c), 5 Stephan Lewies, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Thomas du Toit
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais/Stephan Coetzee, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Lourens Adriaanse, 19 Jean Droste, 20 Tera Mtembu, 21 Michael Claassens, 22 Garth April, 23 Jeremy Ward

Date: Saturday, July 22
Venue: Emirates Airlines Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 14:30 local (12:30 GMT)
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant Referees: Jaco van Heerden, Egon Seconds
TMO: Marius Jonker