The Sharks clung to a slim chance of reaching the Super 14 semi-finals with a bonus-point 32-28 victory over fellow South Africans the Lions in a bruising Ellis Park thriller on Saturday.

Success lifted the Durban franchise, who lost their first five southern hemisphere championship matches this season, to ninth position, nine points behind fourth-placed Queensland Reds with four rounds left.

But achieving a fourth consecutive win was hard work for captain John Smit and his men as they resisted late Lions pressure to stretch an unbeaten run against the Johannesburg team to nine years after leading 22-18 at half-time.

It was the Lions ninth loss in a row this year and next up for the bottom of the table outfit is a visit to second placed defending champions Northern Bulls at their Loftus Versfeld fortress in Pretoria.

"Every match is a final for us now after our disappointing start to the season," conceded exhausted Springbok 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning skipper Smit.

"This was a hard, fiery affair, but we made it difficult for ourselves at times and should have scored more tries. We took the wrong options sometimes and needed more patience."

Lions flanker and captain Cobus Grobbelaar struggled for words after another defeat and all his team has to show for 720 minutes of endeavour in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand is five bonus points.

"It was our best performance this season, however, we need a win. We were great in phases but could not put it all together. Last weekend we were let down by defensive blunders, this time it was indiscipline," he confessed.

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