Lions, Crusaders on course for showdown
CAPE TOWN: The Lions and Crusaders will host the Super Rugby semi-finals, and the Hurricanes and Chiefs will attempt to upset the tournament’s top two seeds.
Super Rugby’s last four was decided on Saturday as the Crusaders blanked the Highlanders 17-0 in terrible weather in Christchurch, the Lions escaped with a 23-21 win over the Sharks, and the Chiefs beat the Stormers 17-11 in a grind in Cape Town, South Africa.
Those three joined defending champions the Hurricanes, who prevailed over the ACT Brumbies on Friday.
The Chiefs have to travel back to New Zealand to try to stop the Crusaders in Christchurch. The Crusaders have lost just once in 16 games this season.
The Hurricanes will face the testing trip to altitude in Johannesburg to play the Lions, who also have just one loss.
In Johannesburg, the Lions nearly wasted their No.1 seeding for the playoffs, and needed a 77th-minute penalty from their own half from wing Ruan Combrinck to edge past the Sharks and avoid a big upset.
The Lions topped the regular-season standings, but produced nothing near their regular-season form in an error-strewn first half at Ellis Park, where they dropped passes and missed kicks at goal to trail 14-3 at the break.
The Sharks, written off before the game after squeezing into the play-offs as the lowest seed, scored a first-half try by Kobus van Wyk off a turnover, when the Lions tries to run from their own 22. The Sharks pounced on nearly every Lions mistake in that first 40.
The home team rediscovered the attacking accuracy that took it to the top of the league standings with tries by Franco Mostert, Jaco Kriel and Lionel Mapoe in the first 20 minutes of the second half. That put the Lions ahead 20-14.
There was still drama to play out, though, with Sharks loose forward Daniel du Preez powering over with 15 to go and forcing the Lions to scramble again.
Combrinck was left with a shot from inside his own half right at the end to steal the win, after already missing a much easier kick. He landed the late, 55-metre shot and the Lions clung on.
Chiefs full-back Damian McKenzie’s boot was the difference until right at the end, when the visiting Chiefs sealed a place in the semis with a try.