Hurricanes warning to Lions: We'll bring our A game

Hurricanes captain Dane Coles takes on the Lions defence during the 2016 Super Rugby final. Photo / Mark Mitchell.

Things are about to get real for the Lions of Johannesburg.

The Africa 2 conference champions (by a whopping 23 points) and the top qualifiers will have to bring their best work to overturn the defending champion Hurricanes and force a first ever Super Rugby final in Johannesburg.

They haven't yet faced a New Zealand side in 2017, but Hurricanes assistant coach John Plumtree does not feel that will be a factor in how the semifinal (at 12.30pm NZT on Sunday) may play out. Many New Zealand pundits, who do not watch matches not involving Kiwi sides, will be in the dark about what they will bring.

"They will probably be disappointed in their game, but so were we, and so were the Chiefs. The Sharks played one of their best games of the season, but I wasn't surprised they played well. That will just motivate the Lions to play better in the next one. They will know they need to, as we are probably a better side than the Sharks. We just need to come to the party with our A game... and start better than we have been, because we don't want to let the Lions have that start against us," Plumtree says.

"We are not far off playing our best rugby. The challenge for us is playing our best rugby for longer periods of time in the 80 minutes."

The Lions were fortunate that Ruan Combrinck kept his cool and toasted his 50th Super Rugby cap to land a match-winning 55m bomb to snatch a 23-21 quarter-final victory over the Sharks.

Plumtree's old team very nearly returned the favour from the week before when the Hurricanes' defeat of the Crusaders saw the Sharks not having to travel to Christchurch.

But though the Lions struggled to get all their parts moving in the right direction, they still had some individual standouts, who will need to be subdued even if the match conditions of a 2.30pm kickoff will favour the expansive Hurricanes.

To the fore was stand-in skipper, loose forward Jaco Kriel, who made more metres (92) than any other player in the quarter-finals, beat eight defenders, and made 13 tackles.

Kriel was aided by fellow loose forward and Blitzbokke Sevens star Kwagga Smith at the breakdown and fullback Andries Coetzee. Threequarters Lionel Mapoe and Courtnall Skosan possess pace and portent finishing ability.

Plumtree did all but confirm that Dane Coles would start for his 100th Super Rugby game after returning, to good effect, from the bench in the 35-16 quarter-final victory over the Brumbies. Centre Vince Aso was also a chance to start after recovering from a groin niggle. That move would see a backline reshuffle, with Jordie Barrett heading back to fullback and wing Wes Goosen, who ran in a brace in Canberra, possibly drawing the short straw.

The match-day 23 will be named tomorrow evening (NZT).