Lions will have to ‘roll up their sleeves’ if they’re to win Currie Cup in 2026

The Lions have lost the last two Currie Cup finals from penalty kicks after the fulltime hooter, and are now underdogs in their semifinal against Griquas. The Lions are relishing their status as competition underdogs as they target winning their first Currie Cup title since 2015, when they face the Griquas in their semifinal clash at Griqua Park on Sunday (kick-off 1pm). But they will have to do it the hard way, starting with an incredibly tough away match against the defending champs in Kimberley, followed by them having to travel to either Bloemfontein or Mbombela to face the Cheetahs or Pumas if they win this weekend. It is a completely different scenario for the Lions this year after they were the heavy favourites over the past two seasons, only to fall at the final hurdle. In 2024 and 2025 the Lions finished top of the Currie Cup standings, cruised through their semifinals and then, backed by teams full of URC regulars on their home ground Ellis Park, somehow contrived to lose at the death. In both matches it was a penalty kick after the fulltime hooter that did them in, with former flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse knocking over a monster effort in the 82nd minute to see the Sharks clinch a 16-14 win in 2024, while last year Griquas flyhalf George Whitehead did the honours in the 83rd minute. Now, with the Lions finishing fourth on the log, having to play away in the knockouts, and with them not expected to change their team as they did the last two years by bringing in URC regulars late in the competition, that may just be the tonic they need to take the pressure off and finally go all the way. Big challenge “The Griquas are a big challenge. They have shown this season that they are the team to beat. They finished top of the log by a distance, so we are alive to the challenge that is ahead of us,” said coach Mziwakhe Nkosi ahead of the match. “It’s exacerbated by the fact that we have to play away, but that’s part of the game. We have taken a leaf out of a team like Munster who had to win three away on the trot to win the URC (in 2023). So it has been done before, but it’s going to require us rolling up our sleeves. “We are definitely underdogs. We were there for their (Griquas) centenary (celebrations) and they put on a good show for their alumni. But we didn’t give a good account of ourselves then (losing 31-19). “So hopefully on Sunday we give a good account of ourselves and get a win. There are no bonus points and no logs, so a single point win also counts.” Nkosi backed his large contingent of young players in the squad to make the step up and get them through to a third straight Currie Cup final. “Hopefully third time’s the charm. But for this group and these youngsters, 13 of them who are between the ages of 19 and 21, they are winners,” explained Nkosi. “They have been to many finals as juniors and here is another opportunity for them to step up and get to another final. They have got to keep being winners and hopefully on Sunday it can happen for us and we get to the final next week.”