Lions vs Sharks Predictions - Sharks backed to win Currie Cup against Lions

Marc Thomas

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Last updated: 19 Sep 2024

Marc Thomas 19 Sep 2024

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Lions won 10 of their last 11 matches.
Sharks won 5 of their last 6 matches.
Sharks beat Lions in Joburg earlier this season.

Expired

Sharks backed in cracking Currie Cup final (Getty Images)

Lions vs Sharks Preview

This should be another cracking encounter in the Currie Cup final. It is a tough one to call, but I fancy the Sharks to beat the Lions in Joburg, as they did earlier this season.

Lions vs Sharks Preview
Head to Head
Lions Form
Lions Injuries & Team News
Sharks Form
Sharks Injuries & Team News

Lions have won 10 of their last 11 matches.
Sharks have won 5 of their last 6 matches.
Sharks won their last away match against the Lions.

Head to Head

These two have played twice this season with each winning away from home.

Lions Form

The Lions have been fantastic all season, topping the Currie Cup table with nine wins from their 10 matches. Their only defeat in the season came in round four against the Sharks.

In round one of the 2024 Currie Cup, the Lions beat the Sharks 26-25 in Durban. Three weeks later, at Ellis Park, the Sharks were superb, winning 35-22.

However, the Lions recovered from that defeat to win their remaining games, mostly quite comfortably. Last week, in the semi-final against the Cheetahs, the Lions had to fight back after going 14-0 down early in the fixture.

A strong second half performance saw the Lions claim a 43-34 home win in the semi-final. They will, however, know that this week they must be far better to contain a rampant Sharks side.

Lions Injuries & Team News

The Lions have a similar side to last weekend with injury concerns relieved from earlier this week.

Sharks Form

The Sharks have endured a rather strange season to date. They lost their opening three games of the Currie Cup before causing an upset to beat the Lions in round four. They have not lost a game since.

After defeating the Lions, the Sharks drew 44-44 against the Pumas and then went on a five-match winning streak to book third spot on the table.

Last week, in the semi-final against the Bulls in Pretoria, the two sides produced one of the most epic and dramatic knockout Currie Cup games in recent memory.

For large parts of the game, the Sharks had 12 or 13 players on the field but somehow the Bulls didn’t pull away on the scoreboard. Then, the Sharks survived a last-minute penalty as the Bulls couldn’t find the target which sent the game into extra time at 33-33.

The Bulls scored a converted try early in the second half of extra time before the Sharks scored with close to the final play of the game to make it 40-40. They progressed because they scored more tries in the game.