Lions have score to settle against Sharks as Currie Cup final pain persists

There will be a tinge of revenge in the air when the Lions follow the Sharks onto the Ellis Park turf in their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash on Saturday.

The last time the teams clashed was in last year's Currie Cup final when the Lions committed rugby hara-kiri by failing to kick the ball out after the full-time siren when they had the lead. They ended up losing and for some the pain persists.

“A lot of guys are still not over that final,” Lions loose forward Siba Qoma said. “There is a degree of taking it personally but we stay professional in the way we go about it and the way we prepare for it.”

Not that either team needs additional motivation going into this clash.

While the Lions beat the Sharks home and away in the URC last season, Saturday's visitors have made significant strides since.

Lions scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys was in little doubt about the fight they are in for.

“When you look at the way they are playing it doesn't matter whether they have a lot of injuries or if their Springboks are resting, it looks like a bunch of guys that play really hard for each other..

“Against the Bulls they were down to 12 players at one point but they never stopped fighting. It looks like their culture has grown. It looks like they are a happy camp, it looks like they want to work hard for each other.

“Technically their attack is a lot more dynamic, their kicking game is accurate. They are a much different team to last year, we are under no illusions there.”

Not that he is diminishing his own team's prospects. “We are also working towards where we want to go. We feel our attack is getting better. It will be interesting to see how much ball will be in play,” said Redelinghuys.

The teams will have two cracks at each other on consecutive weekends which makes for an interesting dynamic in the way they prepare.

“These double-headers are weird. Last year we had the Bulls twice in a row. After the Bulls game we had a lot of things to look at. The things we did well and, obviously, there are always things we can do better.

“Our focus is the first game but afterwards our review becomes a preview. That is a bit strange,” said Redelinghuys.

The Lions showed their claws but did not have the bite to down the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld last weekend. A repeat against the Sharks will be a devastating blow to their prospects of reaching the top eight.