Wellington — The Lions may have earned the right to home advantage throughout the Super Rugby playoffs after finishing top of the standings on Saturday, but their title credentials will be truly tested in the next three weeks. The Lions led the table on 65 points following a 27-10 win over the Sharks, who they meet in Johannesburg on Saturday, after the Hurricanes had ended the Crusaders’ quest for an unbeaten season earlier. Johan Ackermann’s side have proved to be the best in SA over the past two years, but they accumulated their 14-1 record this season without needing to face any of the five New Zealand franchises. They are favourites to beat the Sharks again at Ellis Park to advance to the semifinals, where they are likely to face the Hurricanes in a rematch of the 2016 final, should Chris Boyd’s side beat the Brumbies in Canberra on Friday. The 2016 champions have no fear of Ellis Park, having notched up a 50-17 victory there in 2016 and after their morale-boosting 31-22 win ov...
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