Lions captain Jaco Visagie in action against the Cheetahs during the pool phase of the Currie Cup last month. Picture: Johan Pretorius/Gallo Images
The Lions are gunning for a first Currie Cup final appearance since 2019 when they host the Cheetahs in their semifinal catfight at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 2:30pm).
It has been a fantastic Currie Cup campaign for the Lions so far, with them winning nine out of 10 games in the pool stage to finish top of the log, and now take on the competition defending champs for a spot in the final.
Lions captain Jaco Visagie said the team had done the hard work to get here and they now had a chance to make it to the showpiece finale.
“My father always says you need a ticket to get on the train. So we’ve worked hard, we’ve got the ticket and now we here. Obviously as a squad we are excited and we are happy to be here,” said Visagie.
“This is a first semifinal in the Currie Cup for a lot of the guys, so it is a big milestone for them and we are just happy to have made it this far.”
The Lions last played in the competition semis in 2021, where they went down to the Bulls 26-21, they were edged 31-28 by the Cheetahs in the 2019 final, and last won the Currie Cup in 2015 when they beat Western Province 32-24.
The Cheetahs have been one of the most successful teams in the competition in recent years, winning it in 2019 and last year, while they also topped the log and reached the semis in 2022, so the Lions know what challenge they will bring, particularly Visagie who has faced them in a final before.
“The Cheetahs are an experienced outfit. They have a lot of older guys in their squad. Many of them have played in semifinals and finals. They have won the Currie Cup a few times over the past few years. So we know what’s coming, we will stick to our strengths and focus on ourselves,” said Visagie.
“I have played against the Cheetahs a few times. Played them in a final and lost there in Bloemfontein. Playing there is a totally different ball game to playing at home. So I am really happy to be at home and I am hoping the fans can come out to support us.”
The Lions only loss so far in the Currie Cup came after they won their first three games, including beating the Sharks 26-25 in Durban, before they were upset 35-22 in the reverse at Ellis Park, and they believe that result galvanised them and helped them up their game since.
“On the day the Sharks were better than us. But that loss helped us. Just to realise that there are no easy games going forward. We definitely benefitted from that loss, we saw where we needed to improve, and we did that in all areas (of our game),” admitted Visagie.
Quan Horn, Rabz Maxwane, Rynhardt Jonker, Marius Louw, Tapiwa Mafura, Kade Wolhuter, Nico Steyn, Jarod Cairns, Ruan Venter, Renzo du Plessis, Darrien-Lane Landsberg, Ruben Schoeman, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Jaco Visagie (c), Morgan Naude. Bench: Morne Brandon, Juan Schoeman, Conrad van Vuuren, Raynard Roets, JC Pretorius, Siba Qoma, Sanele Nohamba, Kelly Mpeku
Michael Annies, Cohen Jasper, Munier Hartzenberg, Evardi Boshoff, Daniel Kasende, Ethan Wentzel, Jandre Nel, Jeandrè Rudolph, Oupa Mohoje, Gideon van der Merwe, Victor Sekekete (c), Carl Wegner, Robert Hunt, Corne Fourie, Schalk Ferreira. Bench: Vernon Paulo, Hencus van Wyk, Laurence Victor, Friedle Olivier, Aidon Davis, Marco Jansen van Vuren, George Lourens, Litha Nkula
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