VIDEO -'The guys are not over it': Lions have a score to settle

SPOTLIGHT: The Lions are still feeling the pain of their 2024 Currie Cup Final defeat to the Sharks as they prepare for a United Rugby Championship Round 12 showdown this weekend.

In September last year, Jordan Hendrikse broke the hearts of his former Lions teammates and supporters when he succeeded with a last-minute long-range penalty goal to hand the Sharks a dramatic 16-14 victory.

Saturday’s URC encounter at Ellis Park will be the first meeting between the franchises since that game.

To make things interesting, the two teams will do battle again a week later in Durban in a rescheduled Round One fixture.

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“I will tell you one thing, I don’t think a lot of the guys around here are over that Final,” said Lions loose forward Sibabalo ‘Siba’ Qoma ahead of Saturday’s game.

“To some degree it is personal, but we will stay professional in the way we go about it.

“That’s all I will say about that. We will see on the field,” he added with a smile.

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The Lions did the double over their opponents in the URC last season, but forwards coach Julian Redelinghuys believes the Sharks are a different beast this year.

“It doesn’t matter if they have a lot of injuries or if their Springboks are resting. It looks like a bunch of guys that play really hard for each other,” said Redelinghuys.

“Against the Bulls, they were down to 12 guys at one stage and they just never stopped fighting. It just looks like their culture has grown over time.

“It looks like a happy camp and it looks like they are willing to work hard for each other.

“On the technical side, their attack is a lot more dynamic. I think their kicking game is accurate and they do really well to play towards space and defensively they work hard.

“They are a much different team compared to last year.

Redelinghuys added: “We also feel that we are dynamic and our attack is getting better, so it’s going to be interesting to see how much ball is in play this weekend.”

@rugby365com