Lions snatch dramatic late draw against Sharks after Pietermaritzburg thriller

In a thrilling Currie Cup round six encounter at Woodburn Stadium in Pietermaritzburg, the Sharks and Lions found themselves engaged in a dramatic finish, resulting in a 22-22 draw. The Sharks had the opportunity to secure victory when Meno Barnard crossed for their fourth try in the 76th minute, but the Lions managed to equalize through Gilermo Mentoe, who was brought down by Lions flyhalf Sam Francis.

Unfortunately, Francis' attempt to score a conversion from the resulting kick drifted wide, preventing the Lions from claiming all four points. Both teams entered the match with significant changes to their starting line-ups, resulting in an error-prone opening half. Despite this, the Sharks managed to take the lead with a powerful rolling maul in the 31st minute, giving captain Ross Braude a 5-3 advantage.

The Lions capitalized on their set-piece advantage, with forward Vuyo Gwiji scoring for them, leading to a 10-5 halftime lead. After the break, the Sharks continued their attacking momentum, scoring twice in the opening stages of the second half, including a try by Liam van Wyk and one by Christie Grobbelaar. Tim Swiel added the conversion, pushing the Sharks ahead 17-10.

The Lions responded in the 54th minute with a try from Armand Combrinck, who finished off another lineout maul. Sam Francis converted this score to keep the score at 17-17. The Sharks regained the initiative in the final quarter, and despite Barnard scoring a late try for them, Gilermo Mentoe's last-minute intervention ensured that neither side could claim a win, leaving them with an equal 22-22 score.

Both teams now face the prospect of settling for two points each from a contest that only truly heated up after half-time.