The Lions are hot favourites to feast on the Sharks and claim their first Currie Cup in nearly a decade at Ellis Park on Saturday, according to SARugbymag.co.za readers.
According to a poll run by SARugbymag.co.za, over 57% of readers believe that the Lions will beat the Sharks and win the Currie Cup for the first time since 2015.
The Sharks, looking for their first Currie Cup title since 2018, when they beat Western Province at Newlands, received 42% of the vote.
In the first semi-final, the Lions fought back from an early 14-0 deficit to dethrone defending champions the Cheetahs in a 43-34 triumph, reaching their first final in five years.
The Sharks booked their place in the season finale despite a 40-40 stalemate against the Bulls in the semis – the coastal side progressing to the decider on the tries-scored tiebreaker.
The visitors outscored the men from Pretoria by six tries to four, with Springbok prop Trevor Nyakane’s dramatic effort in the second half of extra time the pick of the bunch as it levelled the scores, which was ultimately enough for the KwaZulu-Natalians to progress to the final.
Photo: Johan Pretorius/Gallo Images