The Lions joined Western Province towards the Currie Cup exit when they were again downed in Durban on Saturday night.

They lost to the Sharks who overcame a slow start to secure a 29-21 victory that restored them to the top of the table and booked them a home semifinal.

The Lions, who needed a bonus point win to stay in the Currie Cup hunt, made a near dream start but they lost composure at crucial times allowing the Sharks to regroup and ultimately snatch the prize.

With the match in the balance it was the Sharks' bench that made the difference.

Their bench vastly improved their ability to turn over possession and it served not just to keep them in the game in the first 25 minutes of the second half, but it set them apart in the last quarter of an hour.

While his brother Emmanuel was arguably the Lions best player across 79 minutes of the match Sharks' substitute Vincent Tshituka increasingly left his fingerprints on proceedings.

He hustled and bustled as the match wore on and so too did fellow replacement Ntuthuko Mchunu.

Rohan Janse van Rensburg also made some crucial steals when the Lions were on the prowl.

The Lions lost their highly rated flank Ruan Venter in the opening move of the match.

It was he who retrieved the kickoff and after smashing through two tackles he stayed down.

He left the field on the back of a medical buggy with a dislocated shoulder.

Emmanuel Tshituka who replaced Venter, was the first man to score when he emerged with the ball from a pile of bodies.

Soon after tighthead prop Ruan Dreyer picked up and went for the line with purpose to help hand the Lions a 14-0 lead in the 18th minute.

The Lions squandered opportunities to go further ahead and their poor game management helped provide the Sharks found a foothold.

Sharks hooker Fex Mbatha ran at the gainline with gusto and though the hosts lost flanker Dylan Richardson in replacement Vincent Tshituka they had another forward wielding a sledgehammer.

The Sharks were disjointed in the opening quarter and it was only in the 25th minute that they strung together meaningful passes.

Mbatha got them on the board and though the Lions appeared to regroup and was laying claim to the ball more after the half-hour mark their captain Marius Louw threw a speculative pass that was found the hands of opposing left-wing Aphelele Fassi.

Substitute prop Ntuthuko Mchunu's try not only rewarded the Sharks' bravery in the 46th minute but it handed them the lead.

Nohamba ran in the Lions' third to level the scores again and it were the visitors who looked the stronger team as the match approached its final quarter.

They could have advanced the scoreboard but elementary errors tripped them up.

Scorers

Sharks (29) — Tries: Ntuthuko Mchunu (2), Fex Mbatha, Aphelele Fassi. Conversions: Lionel Cronje (3). Penalty: Nevaldo Fleurs.

Lions (21) — Tries: Emmanuel Tshituka, Ruan Dreyer. Sanele Nohamba. Conversions: Nohamba (3).