Lions seek fairytale triumph for Ackermann

The Johannesburg team that once scored 65 points in a match and still lost host record seven-time title-holders Canterbury Crusaders before a sell-out 61,500 final crowd at Ellis Park stadium.

After a mediocre Super Rugby season of too many lop-sided matches, the decider is rich in promise as the South Africans seek a first title.

The teams are packed with Springboks and All Blacks, adding to the attractiveness of a fixture that has dominated the South African sports pages and airwaves all week.

It is the second successive final for the Lions, who were well beaten in alien wet conditions by the Hurricanes in Wellington last year.

While the Christchurch-based Crusaders have won four more titles than any other franchise, the last came in 2008 with two second places since.

The New Zealand outfit have always been among the pre-season title favourites, a far cry from where the Lions once found themselves.

They lost all 13 league matches in 2010, the same year they were beaten 72-65 by New Zealand visitors Waikato Chiefs.

In 2013, the Lions were relegated to accommodate compatriots Southern Kings, a team they narrowly defeated in a play-off to regain top-flight status a year later.

Former Springbok lock Ackermann then waved his magic wand by assembling a team of cast-offs from other franchises and moulding them into a fearsome team.

The tall, fair-haired coach scorned the kick-and-chase style favoured by South Africans and opted for a ball-in-hand approach that had made New Zealand teams so successful. 

It worked a treat as the Lions became the most exciting South African side and finished 12th, eighth, second and first in the past four regular-season standings.

Topping the league table is crucial in Super Rugby as it guarantees home advantage in the knockout rounds as long as the team wins. 

The final marks the end of the Ackermann reign at the Lions as he takes over English Premiership club Gloucester for the 2017-2018 northern hemisphere season.

"This is the perfect ending to my time at the Lions," the 47-year-old said. "Winning the final will be the icing on the cake.

"The Lions are more than a rugby team -- they are a family. We have grown together from humble beginnings, taken knocks, got up and carried on.

"As the final draws near, let us not forget those who mow the Ellis Park grass, the administrators and other people who have helped us succeed."

Ackermann stresses the team ethic and there was no mention of individuals ahead of the clash with the Crusaders, who have won eight of 11 previous meetings.

Had he decided otherwise, stars like leading 2017 Super Rugby points scorer and fly-half Elton Jantjies and skipper and flanker Jaco Kriel would have quickly surfaced.

This season has seen the emergence of new stars like lock Franco Mostert and scrum-half Ross Cronje, both rewarded with Test caps against France.

Crusaders have revelled in a low-key build-up far from Christchurch, where they defeated compatriots Otago Highlanders and Chiefs in the knockout phase.

"The team have acclimatised well," said Scott Robertson, a Super Rugby winner as a loose forward with the Crusaders and now in his maiden season as coach.

"We are a bit isolated here, which is good as we avoid a lot of the hype that would have surrounded us back home.

"Defence is obviously critical," he added, and his team were magnificent in repulsing wave after wave of Chiefs raids last weekend.

Winger Seta Tamanivalu scored two tries in that match while an internationals-stacked pack includes skipper and lock Sam Whitelock and All Blacks captain and No. 8 Kieran Read.

Home advantage and the lung-burning effect on the visitors of playing 1,750 metres (5,750 feet) above sea level make the Lions slight favourites.

But Robertson has sounded a warning: "We are tired of waiting to win another final. We want to hold the trophy and have the players to achieve that goal."