Saturday mornings at 9:30AM isn’t usually ‘crack your first beer’ time, but it’s not every weekend you get to watch the Lions in a Super Rugby final.

They’ll be up against the might of the Hurricanes in Wellington, New Zealand, at the stadium affectionately known as the Cake Tin.

That’s where the affection stops though, because on 10 previous visits to New Zealand for playoff games South African teams have lost – you guessed it – all 10.

Local rugby pundit Mark Keohane doesn’t care much for that stat though, because he thinks the Jozi outfit are in with a serious chance of bringing home the trophy.

New Zealand site Stuff actually used the headline ‘Why the Lions will win the Super Rugby final against the Hurricanes’, but Keohane doesn’t stick his neck out that far.

Some excerpt from his column on BD Live:

The Lions are a champion team. They face another champion team in the Hurricanes, and the two best teams in the competition will contest the right to be called the best in the Southern Hemisphere. A neutral venue would have been ideal, but that will never happen. A fortnight break between the semifinal and final would have allowed for no travel excuses but that is another dream.

The Lions to complete their finest season in the history of Super Rugby must do what no team from Australia and SA has ever done before — and that is travel to New Zealand for a one-off final and win…

Can the Lions win?

Yes, they can. They’re good enough and their style of play resulted in 10 tries against the Crusaders and Highlanders respectively. They’ve also scored the most tries in the competition this season.

But nationalism and patriotism must not dim the view of what awaits. The Canes at home have been brutal most of the season. They humiliated the Sharks 41-0 and then kept the explosive Chiefs tryless.

A week previously the Chiefs put 61 points past the Stormers. Yet they couldn’t find a way past the Hurricanes defence. The Canes are renowned for their attack but their defence in 2016 has been as dominant.

Whatever the result this will be a final to match any in the history of the competition.

The individual match-ups are world class. Just think of Jaco Kriel and Ardi Savea at the breakdown.

Player for player there is nothing decisive in advantage. These two teams match each other in every aspect.

It’s a New Zealand versus South African rugby contest that has the appeal of any great All Blacks versus Springbok match-up.

If Kriel versus Savea doesn’t make you hot under the collar then sorry, you’re just not a rugga fan.

Come on the pride of Jozi, if you guys take a beating we’re all going to look bad for drinking that early in the morning.

[source:bdlive]