Lions promise dominance in Durban

Hooker PJ Botha says the Lions want to make a statement against the Sharks at Kings Park on Saturday.

The Lions are eighth on the Vodacom URC log after a 34-27 defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town two weeks ago, but believe they are close to turning strong performances into consistent results.

“We had a couple of things to work on after the Stormers game,” said Botha. “We’ve spent the week going through those, but overall we’re just looking forward to the match against the Sharks.

“We want to go there and not just compete, but dominate.”

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Botha dismissed any suggestion that physicality would decide the contest, pointing instead to mindset and execution.

“I don’t believe we play matches or opponents without physicality anymore. Every match is physical and the Sharks are no different. As a team we feel we are in a great place, physicality-wise and mentality-wise. We are ready for the challenge.”

Assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher highlighted the demanding conditions expected in Durban and the need for clarity under pressure.

“Whenever it’s a derby, especially a South African derby, the battle is physical,” Loubscher said. “You have to look at the humidity in Durban and the rain we’ve had. We need to prepare for all the possible conditions and make sure mentally we’re in the right frame of mind.”

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Loubscher stressed that structure and accuracy would be key against a Sharks side growing in confidence under interim coach JP Pietersen after back-to-back wins.

“We want everything to be process-driven,” he said. “That’s attack, defence and kicking game. If you look at the Sharks since JP took over, they are a team that is on the up. We can see the improved effort, the belief and we can see it in the way they play.”

“Well done to him – we all know his credentials as a player and he is the right guy. He is taking the team forward. You can see the players are more confident and enjoying what they are doing, and that’s nice to see.

“We know it’s going to be a tough battle on Saturday, but we are excited. If you look at the names they have and the experience in that squad, it’s exciting because there are a lot of things we’ve learned within our own team.”

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images