Lions seek redemption in Currie Cup final after last year’s heartbreak

Let me set the scene.

It was the late 90s in the south of Johannesburg. I was a prefect then at Laerskool Theo Wassenaar and in the final days of primary school before heading to the nearby high school. 

It was an open day, where they welcomed prospective students, and as prefect – proudly wearing my bottle green blazer, my station pinned its lapel – it was my job, alongside my peers, to introduce them to the school.

The drop off point was on the sidewalk, at the lower end of the school, next to their fields. We would guide the younger kids, along with their parents, up to the main gate, making small talk and speaking pleasantries as we attempted to convince both that this was the school that they wanted to join.

So absorbed was I with this task on one particular stroll, that I walked straight into the pole of a road sign indicating a zebra crossing, smacking my forehead hard into metal erection.

A brief moment of discombobulation followed as I attempted to orientate myself from the knock. My head throbbing, I turned on my heels to look back down towards the teachers and fellow prefects clumped together below.

A knot of mass hysteria had broken out there as they doubled over, laughing at my misfortune, as I blushed shamefaced. Now, not only was my head injured but my pride, too. It was more embarrassing to find that the young child and their parents whom I had guided, could not help but giggle, too.

Thoroughly embarrassed, I too attempted to laugh it off but there are days, now almost three decades later, that I still recall the humiliation.

In many ways, I think the Lions have experienced a similar awkward feeling collectively since their Currie Cup final failure last season. If you recall, they were leading the Sharks in the 80th minute, one hand on the cup.

With a set-piece to come, all that was required from the Lions was to win their line-out and hoick the pill into the stand at Ellis Park to claim a 12th domestic championship. What followed remains a mystery to rugby, science, the universe – perhaps it could be filed away amongst the X-files or become an episode for Unexplained Mysteries.

The Lions opted to maul, which the Durbanites defended staunchly and disrupted enough to steal possession back. From their 22, the Sharks launched a desperate attack and then won a breakdown penalty in their half.

To the fore stepped former Lions player Jordan Hendrikse to slot over a 60m shot at goal, which sailed through the rarified Highveld air, and landed the victorious blow in the 83rd minute for a famous 16-14 victory.  

Now, I’m pretty sure that this past week – as the Lions prepare for a second consecutive Currie Cup final against the Griquas (kick-off 3pm) at Ellis Park – that final moment has been remembered with strong acknowledgement that such an error cannot be repeated.

Indeed, I wouldn’t be surprised if it has been a talking point all year at the union.

The Joburgers desperately need to win the Cup this weekend to help put their efforts and sacrifices over the last few seasons into perspective. A meaningful championship will certainly alleviate the pressure on both the playing group and coaching staff.

With that experience and the knowledge gleaned from the United Rugby Championship, you'd expect nothing but victory over a plucky and determined Griquas side. 

If last year’s heartbreak taught the Lions anything, it is that no lead is safe, no moment guaranteed. Redemption is earned, not given, and Saturday offers them the perfect stage to right the wrongs of 12 months ago.

The Griquas, unpredictable and hungry, will provide no easy path. But if the Lions can combine focus, discipline and a touch of courage, perhaps the humiliation of last season will finally be replaced with the elation of a long-overdue Cup triumph – the first since 2015.

After all, in sport as in life, it is often the memory of past mistakes that sharpens performance in the moment that matters most. For the Lions, this weekend could be their chance to turn a story of embarrassment into one of triumph.