It was a disappointing trip to Durban for the Fidelity ADT Lions as the Cell C Sharks overcame a poor start to clinch the Round 13 fixture 29-21 and secure a top spot in the Premier Division standings with their seventh-consecutive win in the competition.

Emmanuel Tshituka and Springbok Ruan Dreyer scored two first half tries for the men from Johannesburg which saw the visitors take a comfortable lead, after losing Ruan Venter to injury early in the encounter.

Wing Aphelele Fassi scored an intercept try before the break, racing 50m to score. Lionel Cronjé’s accurate conversion levelled the scores at 14-14.

Ntuthuko Mchunu scored shortly after half-time. The visitors replied via Sanele Nohamba’s converted try to level the scores once more.

The hosts kept pressing, and Mchunu eventually breached the visitors’ defence to claim his second try. Nevaldo Fleurs slotted a late penalty goal to seal the win and deny the team from Gauteng a losing bonus-point.

Fidelity ADT Lions head coach Mziwakhe Nkosi:

“We had a good first half by starting quickly off the blocks but too many errors towards the end of the first half allowed them back into the game… It was a dog fight from there on.”

“At the end of the day it’s all about execution and finishing off chances but we had good plans ahead of today and feel we did well in nullifying their kicking game as well as stopping their maul attack.”

Looking ahead to Griffons on Friday, the Lions Currie Cup mentor is adamant on finishing the campaign on a high.

“We now have to aim for the highest possible finish outside the play-off spot so that’s the motivation for us going into Friday against the Griffons. As we near the end to our campaign, we are grateful to the guys who have put their bodies on the line for the better part of fourteen weeks but disappointed that we could not attain a play-off spot which for a franchise like ours is a prerequisite,” he concluded.