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Johannesburg - This year's Currie Cup approaches a riveting end as the race for the play-offs stretches to the final round of league rugby matches this weekend.
Strengthened by the return of their Springboks, the Sharks will be confident of securing a home semi-final with a win over log leaders the Lions in Durban on Saturday.
The coastal side's coach, John Plumtree, said while the Lions, having already secured a home semi-final, were able to give some of their players a rest, the Sharks would not let that affect their approach to the match.
"It won't change our planning. We have our own worries in terms of reintegrating our Boks and making sure we get our preparation right this week."
Lions coach John Mitchell said his side would use the match to give some of their fringe players game time, but they were gunning for another victory to build further momentum heading into the playoffs.
"At the end you can't control the outcome. We've got to go down there and win," said Mitchell.
"But what is important is the momentum we create with the performance. If the performance is outstanding and we still don't get the result, we can't be disappointed with that in the context of the situation we're in."
The Sharks will have their eyes on Saturday's earlier match between the Cheetahs and Griquas in Bloemfontein, as the result could determine whether they need to win with a bonus point to secure a home semi-final.
The Cheetahs will go into the clash with the knowledge they can move from third place on the log to second, provided they beat the visitors with a bonus point.
Griquas also have a chance of advancing to the playoffs, if they take a bonus-point victory, but they will need other results to go their way.
Cheetahs assistant coach Hawies Fourie said the visitors were a dangerous prospect.
"They never give up, like we saw last week when they fought back to beat the Blue Bulls," said Fourie.
"We also had a taste of their never-say-die attitude when we played them in Kimberley earlier in the season [Griquas won 23-20]. All we know is that we have to win and score a bonus point to stay in the hunt for a home semi-final."
In the final match of the weekend, Western Province will make one last bid to secure a place in the playoffs when they take on the Pumas in Cape Town.
Province have been hit hard by injuries in this year's competition and received a timely boost this week with the return of six Springboks to their match 22.
The Pumas, already assured of relegation, proved a hard nut to crack throughout the season, and Province cannot afford to stumble over the final hurdle.
"The Boks bring an enormous amount to the team dynamic and our play," said Province coach Allister Coetzee.
"Griquas have given us another bite at the cherry and it's an opportunity we don't want to let slip, but it won't be easy against the Pumas.
"They took the Cheetahs very close last week. They are very physical and clearly won't be pushovers."
