If South Africa are to host a Super 14 semifinal for the first time since 2001, then the Sharks are first going to have to overcome some tough local challenges.
But the men from Durban will also hope the second-placed Auckland Blues falter against the Northern Bulls in Pretoria this weekend.
The Blues have lost two games on the trot and a further defeat to the fourth-placed Bulls will open the door for the Sharks to sneak into second place.
The Sharks, however, will also have to win their remaining two games to secure that second place on the points table, but they have the tricky task of having to take on their countrymen in those matches.
With the Canterbury Crusaders (41 points) virtually certain of finishing in first place and the Bulls (32 points) on course to end in fourth, it’s the battle for second place – and the honour of hosting the semifinal — between the Blues (37) and Sharks (35) that is generating plenty of interest.
After dominating the first half of the southern hemisphere inter-provincial rugby competition the Blues have come unstuck in recent weeks, losing first to the Sharks in Auckland and then going down to the Western Stormers in Cape Town last weekend.
The Sharks, too, lost to the Chiefs last weekend, but they did pick up a bonus point for scoring four tries and closed the gap between second and third place to just two points.
Now the Auckland-based side have to travel to Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria to take on a Bulls side that has moved into fourth-place following back-to-back wins over the Stormers and Lions.
The Blues are in danger of suffering a third straight defeat. If the Blues fail to win in Pretoria and the Sharks triumph over the Lions at home, the Durban based side would swap places with the Blues.
Then with one round of matches remaining, the Blues will have the difficult task of picking up maximum points in Perth when they tackle the Western Force, while the Sharks’ final match is against the Stormers in Cape Town.
Dick Muir’s Sharks will be wary of their countrymen, who are seemingly now standing in the way of them getting into second place.
”It’s a must-win game for us against the Lions. I expect a typical South African derby. It’s going to be a tough, tight affair,” Muir told South Africa’s Daily News.
”The Lions are a proud team. There’s a lot to play for.”
The Sharks started their Super 14 challenge with six wins on the trot, which included 17-3 and 27-26 wins over the Bulls and Crusaders respectively.
The unbeaten run was brought to an end by the ACT Brumbies (21-10) before the Sharks also fell to the Force (22-12).
However, big wins over the Queensland Reds (59-16) and Blues (32-25) allowed them to stay in the hunt for a top-two place.
The Sharks will now hope the Bulls continue their resurgence by beating the Blues, while at the same time they’ll be hopeful the Lions and Stormers are not at their very best when they clash in the remaining two rounds of action. — Sapa-AFP