Mtembu: Dangerous Lions can be beaten

The Sharks are viewing the Lions as a similarly dangerous – if not better – package than the Cheetahs ahead of their crunch Super Rugby derby at Ellis Park today, which gives them hope as they were able to register a convincing victory over the central franchise last weekend in Bloemfontein.

“The Lions are just as danger- ous as the Cheetahs, they are a very good team that like to play with ball in hand and they score a lot of tries. But we need to focus on our own game and maintain the momentum from last week and improve on that. We’re really looking forward to the challenge,” coach Robert du Preez said.

Not many South African teams have come up with solutions to counter the high-tempo, expansive game plan of the Lions though – the last time Johan Ackermann’s Super Rugby team lost to local opposition was against the Bulls in May 2015. They have not lost a local derby at Ellis Park since February 2015 and have won their last eight matches at home with an average winning margin of a whopping 26 points.

But the Sharks believe they have the solution.

“We’re very disappointed that we conceded some soft tries against the Cheetahs, so it’s going to take a massive effort on defence,” Du Preez said.

“The Lions were the best team in South Africa last year by a country mile but they can’t play without the ball. If we keep the ball and get up quickly on the defensive line, then we can win. It’s a derby and any South African team is always physical, so we want the physical dominance and that edge,” captain Tera Mtembu said.