The Lions taught the Bulls a rugby lesson on Saturday night at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria by dominating all aspects of a SupeRugby derby match between the two neighbours to eventually win by 56-20

Both teams started the game slightly nervous, but Marnitz Boshoff quite early got the Lions’ first points on the scoreboard with a penalty.

The Lions eventually surprised by attacking with high kicks in the first half hour, with the Bulls trying the same tactic.

Ruhan Janse van Rensburg was the one man in the Lions’ back line who looked dangerous from the kick-off every time he touched the ball. He was also responsible for the Lions’ first try.

The Bulls retaliated with a try by Jesse Kriel from the kick-off after Janse van Rensburg’s try. Warren Whitely could not control the ball at the restart and then Kriel picked up the ball to run through.

Five minutes later, Lionel Mapoe went over the try line after poor defending by the Bulls. The Lions built momentum and the Bulls’ defence was constantly tested. Shortly before halftime, the dam wall broke again after the Lions attacked from a turnover. Julian Redelinghuys was the man who could finish for the Lions’ third try.

By halftime, the Lions was in control of the match and led by 25-8 on the scoreboard.

After halftime, the Jo’burgers continued their attack and the Bulls were soon back in reverse in the scrum and at the breakdown.

After about an half an hour’s play, Faf de Klerk stunned the Bulls team with a quick tap-kick about 40 metres from the goal line. After he sprinted for about 30 metres, he found Jaco Kriel in support and the brilliant flank could show heels to the rest of the Bulls defenders on his way to the goal line.

The Bulls, in spite of the many mistakes they made, never gave up. After Kriel’s try, the Bulls fought back and Adriaan Strauss was the finisher after a lineout drive for the home team’s second try.

But the Lions then went on the rampage in the scrums and at the breakdowns. With the abundance of possession they could continue to attack and Courtnall Skosan was the next Johannesburger to cross the goal line.

Only four minutes later, Faf de Klerk proved that the Bulls was a defeated team when he broke away from behind a scrum and run through for a try.

The best try of the match came in the 34th minute of the second half when the young Ruhan Janse van Rensburg showed his speed along the sideline for his second try.

Two minutes before the final whistle, the Bulls got a consolation try when Deon Stegmann scored under the posts after a few stages in attack.

When the final whistle blew, the Lions could boast seven tries and a final score of 56-20, proving that there is a large gap between them and the rest of the South Africa teams in the SupeRugby tournament.
Scorers:

BULLS: 20 Tries: Jesse Kriel, Adriaan Strauss, Deon Stegmann. Conversions: Francois Brummer (1). Penalties: Francois Brummer (1).

Yellow Card: Tian Schoeman

Lions: 56 Tries: Ruhan Janse van Rensburg (2), Lionel Mapoe, Julian Redelinghuys, Jaco Kriel, Courtnall Skosan Faf de Klerk. Conversions: Marnitz Boshoff (6). Penalties: Marnitz Boshoff (3).

Teams:

Bulls: 15 Sarel Marais, 14 Jamba Ulengo, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Arno Botha, 7 Jannes Kirsten, 6 Pieter Labuschagne, 5 Rudolph Snyman, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Lizo Gqoboka.
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Pierre Schoeman, 19 Grant Hattingh, 20 Deon Stegmann, 21 Rudy Paige, 22 Tian Schoeman, 23 Dries Swanepoel.

Lions: 15 Sylvian Mahuza, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Rohan Janse Van Rensburg, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Francois de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley (captain), 7 Warwick Tecklenburg, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 Julian Redelinghuys, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Dylan Smith.
Replacements: 16 Armand Van Der Merwe, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Jacques Van Rooyen, 19 Ruan Ackermann, 20 Cyle Brink, 21 Ross Cronje, 22 Howard Mnisi, 23 Ashlon Davids.

Referee: Craig Joubert
Assistant referees: Marius van der Westhuizen, Cwengile Jadezweni
TMO: Christie du Preez