STAT ATTACK: The numbers behind today's Super Rugby final

The Lions will have the backing of a record crowd when they go in search of a first Super Rugby title against a Crusaders side on the brink of being crowned champions for an eighth time on Saturday.

Ellis Park is set to be packed to the rafters, with 62,000 fans – the biggest ever Super Rugby attendance – expected for what promises to be a gripping showdown between two sides that have lost only once this season.

The Lions were beaten by the Hurricanes in the final last year and it would be a dream send-off for Gloucester-bound coach Johan Ackermann if they can heal those wounds by winning at their home ground.

The Crusaders will be looking to rip up the script by ending their nine-year wait to win the competition.

Here are a selection of the statistics and facts relating to the final:

17 – You have to go back 17 years for the last time a team won a Super Rugby final played outside their own country. It was the Crusaders who achieved that feat in 2000, travelling to Australia to edge out the Brumbies 20-19.

7 – The Crusaders have been crowned Super Rugby champions on seven occasions and have featured in 11 finals in total, both records in the competition.

14 – The Lions head into the final on the back of a 14-game winning streak; the Crusaders are the only team in Super Rugby history to have won more games in succession with 15 straight from 2002 to 2003; and 16 in a row between 2005 and 2006.

9 – South African teams have won nine of their last 12 finals fixtures at home against New Zealand opposition.

2 – The Christchurch-based Crusaders have lost their last two finals, only the Sharks (four) have lost more than two in a row when reaching the final.

5 – The Crusaders won all five games outside New Zealand this season, scoring an average of 43 points per match in the process.