The Lions spoiled the Sharks’ party at Ellis Park on Saturday to throw themselves firmly into contention for the Vodacom URC SA Shield.
The Joburg-based outfit’s 34-22 bonus-point victory over the KwaZulu-Natalians lifted them to 15 points on the Shield table, just one behind the Sharks with a game still to play.
Each South African side faces their local rivals home and away during the season, while playing teams from the other regional pools once, alternating venues annually. Only SA derbies count towards the SA Shield standings.
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JP Pietersen’s men arrived in Joburg needing any kind of win to clinch the Shield, and many would have expected the champagne to be on ice. But the Lions had other ideas. They delivered a high-energy, confrontational performance to atone for their 52-17 hammering by the Vodacom Bulls the earlier this month.
The Bulls (nine points) and Stormers (seven) both still have two Shield matches remaining. If they both win their matches this Saturday, against the Sharks in Pretoria and the Lions in Joburg respectively, the Shield could be decided by the north-south derby at Loftus on 14 March.
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SA Shield results
Bulls 33 Lions 43
Stormers 34 Lions 27
Sharks 21 Bulls 12
Sharks 22 Lions 23
Stormers 13 Bulls 8
Stormers 19 Sharks 30
Lions 17 Bulls 52
Sharks 36 Stormers 24
Lions 34 Sharks 22
SA Shield fixtures
Saturday, 28 February
Lions vs Stormers (2:30pm)
Bulls vs Sharks (5pm)
Saturday, 14 March
Bulls vs Stormers (2pm)
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
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