THE FINAL WHISTLE
MARK KEOHANE: Lions versus Sharks derby undoubtedly one of the best for quite some time
'The goal in South African rugby must be for this kind of quality to be more common and not the exception'
There should not have been a loser at Ellis Park, so good was the effort of both teams. The Lions won but the Sharks won in so many respects, even if they don’t have the league points to show for an inspiring effort. To the Sharks, more please. To the Lions, more please. To those nearly 40,000 who added to the atmosphere in Johannesburg, more please. Saturday’s Lions versus Sharks derby was as good as it has got from a South African derby for some time. It was a match of the highest quality, on par with the best produced with such regularity in New Zealand and the equal of the very best in Europe’s Champions Cup. The goal in South African rugby must be for this kind of quality to be more common and not the exception.The Lions did extremely well to win because this was the Sharks’ most complete performance under Robert du Preez’s coaching. Du Preez was a very good rugby player for Northern Transvaal. He was a big and imposing presence at scrumhalf and was ruthless in the way he playe...
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