Lions won't stop attacking

The Lions will stick to their exciting brand of running rugby in the Currie Cup final against Western Province on Saturday, coach Johan Ackermann has vowed.

The Lions shredded the defending champions, the Sharks, 50-20 at Ellis Park on Saturday, and afterwards Ackermann revealed that the Waratahs, the Super Rugby champions, were the inspiration behind the running rugby that has taken his team to the brink of Currie Cup glory.

The Lions pummelled the Sharks with a flurry of tries in the first half and not once did they let them escape from the ropes.

It was a game plan fully invested in their attack - something of an aberration when it comes to knockout matches.

Yet the Lions kept coming at the Sharks.

From Howard Mnisi's superlative score in the 10th minute to Warren Whiteley's runaway try in the 80th, the Lions ran the Sharks' socks off instead of going the usual route - seeking three-pointers.

Six tries were the result.

The Waratahs won the Super rugby trophy playing a similar brave style. They charged at the Crusaders in the final, disregarding their opponents' championship pedigree.

The Waratahs scored more tries (55) than anyone in the pool stages of Super rugby, as did the Lions in the Currie Cup (50).

"The Waratahs were similar. They won Super rugby by sticking to what they believed in," Acker-mann said.

"People said they often ran the ball too much, but they stuck to that and it worked for them.

"We play the game to enjoy it. We don't have a prop or a lock in the team and expect them just to scrum or just to win the lineout.

"We also look at our team profile. If you had eight forwards that were over 2m tall and weighed over 100kg and big Fijian-type wings then you'd probably want to run and smash over everybody.

"But we have guys with good feet, good hands and speed. Our loose-forwards are our strength, our props can pass the ball and our locks can run for 80 minutes. You therefore adapt your game plan to suit your team profile."

Ackermann insisted afterwards that the team would not abandon the endorphin-inducing attacking game plan when they go to Cape Town for the final this weekend.

"We could be more direct if we wanted to, but that's just the easy way out," he said.

"I don't think we'll change anything for the final. We've built certain character in this team, which means they will go down fighting for each other.

"It would be dumb for us to make major changes in the lead-up to the final."

The Lions are monitoring one of their star men of the match, and indeed of the season, Jaco Kriel, who limped off the field with a sore hamstring after scoring the Lions' second try and creating the third.

The flanker is top of the class with nine tries in the competition.