Cape Town - The Sharks go into Saturday's Currie Cup final against Western Province at Newlands knowing that they were comfortably second best the last time the sides met. 

In their only round robin clash against each other because of the shortened format in 2018, WP emerged as 50-28 winners against the Durbanites in Cape Town.  

That match was a lot closer than the scoreline suggests, but it was the hosts who finished strongest as they ran away with the contest in the final quarter. 

Now, one month later, the Sharks will be back in Cape Town looking to get the job done and return the favour of 2017 when WP beat them in the tournament final at Kings Park. 

According to assistant coach and former England international Nick Easter, the Sharks have taken a lot from their loss at Newlands back on September 29. 

"We know what a quality side they are and how lethal they are. We've got to be well prepared and on the game, focusing for 80 minutes," he said from Durban on Monday.

"It was a little bit of a wake-up call coming unstuck against them, and we now know exactly what it will take to become champions.

"We have much more clarity in terms of what we're trying to achieve in terms of our turnover rate. We weren't getting punished and then those guys (WP) punished us and they exploited certain flaws and systems. They always say that you learn more when you lose.

"We didn't turn up there last time. They played very well, but we didn't turn up.

"We're very happy with where they are and the guys have taken a lot of ownership over the last month or so, taking responsibility in training. At the end of the day, it's all down to them."

Both sides are expected to name their line-ups for the final on Thursday, while kick-off on Saturday is at 16:00.