Lions centre Marius Louw was once a proud Shark, and is in a good position to judge the challenge the Sharks will pose at Ellis Park on Saturday (2.30pm kick-off).
“The Sharks are a very dynamic team, so we must make sure we control the tempo, whether it is making the game quicker or slower when it suits us. If we can do that, we will be in the pound seats,” the 29-year-old said on Thursday.
“It is been a while since I was in Durban (he moved to Johannesburg at the end of the 2022 season) and they have had a lot of changes in personnel, but I still know a few of the guys.
“There is always some good banter on the field, but it is amazing to play against players of their class.”
The Lions did the double over the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship last season, including a big win at Ellis Park. But the Sharks had a measure of revenge when they nailed the Currie Cup final win in Johannesburg.
“If we look at how the Sharks are consistently performing, they are a different side this season,” Louw said.
“They have better squad depth, and play well both home and away. We are taking nothing for granted. It will be a tough battle up front and they have very exciting backs, so we are under no illusions that they are a different side.”
Louw said the Lions had a good look at how the Sharks pulled off a surprise win at Loftus Versfeld a fortnight ago.
“They are very good in the aerial battle. They often get the ball back, and that creates unstructured attack for them and they pride themselves on that. Their backline coach, Dave Williams, is always proud of his counter-attack, so we are very aware of the danger.”
Louw said coach Ivan van Rooyen’s team have worked hard on fixing the flaws that cost them the match in Pretoria last week.
“We are obviously disappointed with last weekend. Our start wasn’t good enough. The second half start was also not up to scratch. We have worked on hard on rectifying that this week. We need to start well and keep the intensity for the whole 80.
After this match, the Lions hit the road. They are away to the Sharks next week, and then head overseas for two games. Louw says playing away doesn’t worry his team.
“If we can handle our aerial battle, game management and ball retention, then our style of play fits any situation. It is all about execution.
“At the Lions we will never give up. We are still 100 percent in the fight (in the URC), and whatever happens over the next few weeks, we must ensure we put up good performances to try and make the playoffs.”