The Lions’ win earlier in the Currie Cup campaign over the Sharks will stand them in good stead in Saturday’s return fixture in Durban, argues lock Darrien-Lane Landsberg.
The Lions, in all likelihood, will need to win both their remaining fixtures to get into the semifinals of the Currie Cup but the hurdle they face on Saturday is big in that they face the log leaders. Landsberg seems undaunted.
“We can definitely take confidence from the fact we got one up on them from round one. There is definitely a lot we can take from that. But knowing the threats the Sharks can come up with. They’re on a six-match winning streak so they are on a high. In saying that, we know we are going to go out there guns blazing.”
He believes there is a road map to victory.
“Any team with a winning streak, your tails are going to be up and things will be working for you. From our side, it is about stopping them at the source, taking away their set piece and being physically dominant.
“We showed that against WP. If we defend for whatever number of phases we have to we’ll get the reward.”
That is fighting talk. The Lions did show they are up to the task by beating Western Province in Athlone on the Cape Flats last week, albeit in front of near-empty stands.
They kept their hopes alive with a vibrant 32-12 win that got them level on log points with Western Province and one log place below their Cape rivals in fifth. The Lions dare not slip up again, however.
Western Province are away to 2022’s finalists Griquas on Friday and they finish their league programme next weekend at home against the Sharks.
The Lions play the bottom-placed Griffons in Welkom in their last league match next Friday.
With six teams still capable of reaching the semifinals, Lions captain Marius Louw was rather embracing the tightrope they are walking.
“It’s a tight competition. That’s absolutely great for SA rugby that we are able to keep the competition so tight with two rounds to go. We are excited, we'll control what we can control and the rest will take care of itself.”
He stressed that for the Lions this week preparation and work rate are important components. “If we do that we will get over the line. We grew as the season progressed. Pressure is a privilege for us.”
