Lions prepared for firing Sharks pack in URC derby

The Lions are primed and ready for a fired-up Sharks pack when they battle it out in their United Rugby Championship (URC) derby clash at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 2pm).

It is set to be a cracking encounter between a Sharks team brimming with confidence and a Lions side desperate to bounce back from a heavy defeat in their last match.

The Sharks head into the match on a three game winning run, including impressive back-to-back victories over the high flying Stormers, and they will want to build on that this weekend.

The Lions by contrast were hammered 57-12 at home by the Bulls in their last outing, and will want to rectify that against their coastal rivals.

Forwards coach Wessel Roux said that they were prepared for a massive set piece battle against the Sharks, and that they needed to sort out their lineout in particular, to give themselves a chance of coming away with a win.

“The Sharks pack is really firing nicely now. They are brave and creative and that is sometimes a difficult combination to stop. Sometimes they contest (in the lineout), sometimes they stay down (and defend the maul), so they are very creative in that sense,” explained Roux.

“I think they were really dominant in both games against the Stormers. So we have reviewed that, but they have also had time off to review and make new plans.

“So we can’t be too focused on what they did in those games. But we have to acknowledge that they are really creative, brave and are a very physical pack, and are a world class team.”

Bulls result

Speaking about the Bulls result, Roux claimed that the Lions were their own worst enemy, making two many simple errors and not executing their plans properly, but said they would be able to fix that against the Sharks.

“On the day we were just outplayed by a physical, real dominant Bulls pack. There were technical and fundamental issues that we’ve discussed and worked on,” admitted Roux.

“But in pro rugby sometimes it just happens that you’re not your best self and the opposition is just really good on the day, and I kind of think that’s what happened (against the Bulls).

“We were good against the Stormers (in December), good against the Sharks and Lyon (in January), and then we went overseas for two weeks and we felt the pack really did well in the cold and wet over there. So it was definitely a disappointing performance (against the Bulls).”

The Lions upset a star studded Sharks in their last outing, picking up a thrilling last gasp 23-22 win thanks to a try after the fulltime hooter, and Roux believes they can expect a similarly tight encounter on Saturday.

“They haven’t changed much since the last time we played them. They are still a quality outfit. It seems like they have simplified things a bit, and are more aggressive with a focus on physical dominance,” said Roux.

“But their coaching staff is still the same and they have a real competitive physical edge to them now, especially their pack. They have a number of international players in their team, so it feels like we are going into a Test match.”