Crunch time as Sharks face Lions
SELDOM in the history of the Currie Cup has there been so much riding on a pool game for the Sharks as there is this Friday night when they visit the Lions at Ellis Park.
“Do or die” is an over-used expression, but best describes a fixture which will determine whether the Sharks host a semi-final or do not participate in the play-offs at all.
As the Currie Cup points table stands heading into the final round of fixtures this weekend, there are five teams in realistic contention for the four semi-final spots. Of those five, the Cheetahs and Bulls are home and dry, and then it is Western Province, the Sharks and the Lions scrapping for the other two places, and all will come down to the results of this last round of fixtures.
Province are virtually certain to beat Boland at Newlands in their last match, securing them one of the two remaining spots, and that leaves an effective quarter-final encounter between the Sharks and the Lions in Johannesburg.
The Sharks had a bye last week and while they would have enjoyed their rest, they would have had a rustle of nerves as they saw the Lions annihilate the Kings 71-7 at Ellis Park.
The Eastern Province side are admittedly no great shakes, but they were competitive until half-time before being ruthlessly overpowered.
And while the Sharks will lose only Patrick Lambie to the Springboks this week (and they have pretty much been without him most of the season), the Lions will be giving up to the national cause key forwards in Malcolm Marx and Julian Redelinghuys, and possibly Kwagga Smith.
In return, the Sharks are likely to have some vital pack members back from injury in No 8 Philip van der Walt, captain and flank Keegan Daniel, lock Stephan Lewies and veteran flank Jean Deysel.
That could be a serious and significant injection of experience, guile and skill. With those players back in business, the Sharks’ pack will approximate its Super Rugby incarnation of earlier this year, and if quality ball can be produced for the Sharks’ youthful and enterprising back division, it will be game on against the Lions, the Ellis Park factor notwithstanding.