Lions wary of Sharks despite coastal team being bottom feeders in the URC

The Lions will this week make their way to Durban desperate not to be blinded by the Sharks' poor form and lowly log position in the United Rugby Championship.

The Lions, who are on a decent run with five wins from their past six matches, will square up against a Sharks team who are now bottom of the points table with one win from eight starts, on Saturday.

The Lions, assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher was keen to point out, are not salivating at the prospect of playing the Sharks.

“We don't want to read too much into that and where they are on the log. That would be the biggest mistake. In their squad there is quality across the park,” Loubscher said.

The Lions, who have been a far more settled unit this season, have also been far more combative. Even in the matches they lost away from home they were in the hunt until the end. Unlike the Sharks, who are yet to perform as a unified force under new coach John Plumtree, the Lions have looked a tight-knit group.

“We are big on cohesion and consistency,” said Lions captain Marius Louw, who played in Sharks colours between 2015 and 2022.

“That is what we have built over the past season-and-a-half. It is something we pride ourselves on. Each guy has a big role to play. We rely on each guy in the squad to make us better. We have a healthy and hungry squad. That helps a lot.”

That is not to say the Sharks don't have those qualities.

The Lions are preparing for a huge test in hot and humid Durban against a team that has its back to the wall.

“This time of the year it is very humid. Maybe we are expecting a bit of rain. It could be hot, humid and wet, and you have a slippery ball,” Louw said. “Everyone is looking for that one game to sync things.”.

The Lions, who did some of their preseason training in Durban, are desperate not to appear to be fish out of the water on Saturday.

They know the conditions will be testing, which places a higher premium on making smart decisions.

“It is about game management.” said Louw. “Make sure you play in the right areas of the field. The Sharks have been doing that. If you play in the right areas you start getting confidence and things start sticking. If you start making mistakes in your own half, that's when your confidence drops.”

In fact, the Sharks, dating to their time in Super Rugby, have adopted a strategy early in the year to play a game with the accent on field position.

Their opponents would often fall into the trap of trying to play a ball-in-hand game in energy-sapping conditions. The hosts would bide their time and grind out results in the final quarter.

“It's about getting out of your own half and when you get into their half try to build scoreboard pressure,” Loubscher said.