Lions grab top spot for Super finals

IN a Super Rugby season dominated by New Zealand teams, it is South Africa’s Lions who have emerged as the side to beat.

Last year’s beaten finalists emerged on top of the standings thanks to a clinical 27-10 win against the Sharks in Durban yesterday, earning them home matches in Johannesburg if they keep winning throughout the play-offs.

The previously-unbeaten Crusaders lost their grip on the top spot hours earlier when beaten 31-22 by the Hurricanes in Wellington.

It was deja vu for the seventime champions, whose finalround loss to the Hurricanes last year also deprived them of the all-important top ranking. The long distance travel involved in the play-offs makes home advantage crucial.

In the competition’s 21 years, the top qualifiers have gone on to claim the title on 14 occasions.

The second-ranked side have won six times, with only the 1999 Crusaders bucking the trend, winning from fourth.

The title-less Lions are yet to play a New Zealand team this year due to a quirk of the conference-based competition.

That will continue next week when they host the Sharks in a repeat clash on Sunday morning.

Another derby pits the Crusaders at home to the seventhranked Highlanders on Saturday.

It will be the fifth meeting of the southern rivals this year, including two non-competition games.

The Hurricanes have a shorter away trip than the Chiefs courtesy of placing one point in front of them.

The defending champions face the Brumbies in Canberra on Friday night, seeking to extend New Zealand’s perfect record against Australian teams this season. The Chiefs must travel to Cape Town to play the Stormers on Sunday morning.