Western Province captain Luke Watson admitted that his team lost focus, during their 25-27 Currie Cup loss to the Lions at the weekend, which ultimately cost them first place on the standings.

WP - who slipped down to second behind the table-topping Sharks - will face the Blue Bulls in the second of the two semifinals at Newlands on Saturday, but Watson admitted that chasing a bonus-point win to stay in first place came back to haunt them.

"I think perhaps we were caught up in trying to chase the bonus point and that bit us in the end," Watson said.

However, he was happy that his team will be at home against the Bulls.

"We have a home semi next week and we have to move forward," he said about the defeat in Johannesburg at the weekend.

"We would have preferred to be top of the log and possibly get a home Final also, but now we have to play the cards that we were dealt," he said of facing the Bulls and not the Cheetahs.

WP will also be sweating over the fitness of wings Tonderai Chavhanga and Sireli Naqelevuki, who are both in doubt for the semifinal, after sustaining injuries.

Naqelevuki was replaced in the loss to the Lions, after hurting his ankle, while Chavhanga injured his shoulder in the captain's run on Friday.

The full extent of their injuries will be known on Monday, following further tests and scans.

Watson was full of praise for the Lions, but added that his team was not as clinical as they should have been.

"The Lions are a very good side, they are very unpredictable and you can never write them off.

"They came and showed us that. They are still a young side and a formidable side and one to watch in the future."

Lions captain Cobus Grobbelaar was also full of praise for a team that has endured a roller coaster ride of a season - including a change in coaching staff.

"We said to ourselves the close games we need to pull off now," he said in reference to the seven games they lost, but came within a converted try of the opposition.

"We needed to dig a little deeper and showed some character.

"The team knew they had it in them, we just needed to finish it out there and use our opportunities.

"This game is the example that we have it - it was just a matter of time before things would come right."