The Blue Bulls scored two tries in the last three minutes of the SA Rugby u21 Championship final at Emirates Airline Park last week Friday to ease them into a 48-33 win over the Lions in a high-scoring match that yielded no less than 12 tries.

This handed the Pretoria side their second title in as many years. The defending champions held their nerve better in the second half and while trailing 17-10 at the break, continued to use their expansive game to good effect, scoring six tries in the second stanza.

The home side dominated the middle part of the match through their pack and their rolling mauls. However, the greater flexibility of the Blue Bulls attacking arsenal proved the difference in the end.

Winger Stravino Jacobs was again instrumental and his brace of tries took his overall tally of tries to seven in the competition and he finished top of the try-scoring pile.

Jacobs scored the first try of the match, but after that the young Bulls’ focus relaxed a bit and their defence was very suspicious.

That spurred the young Lions into action and they attacked via several excellent runs from especially their two wings. Two tries followed for the home team. Fist in line was flanker Sibusiso Sangweni, who ran into a huge gap and he scored with a swallow dive under the sticks. Then followed a try by the powerful winger, Ngia Selengbe.

These two tries suddenly pushed the home side into a 14-10 lead after they hardly had any possession.

Shortly afterwards, the Lions stretched their lead even bigger with a try by No 8 and captain, Franke Horn, after a strong maul by the home team. At 19-10, the momentum was pretty much in the home side’s favour.

The pendulum swung back towards the middle though when scrumhalf Bernard van der Linde scored after 32 minutes for the Blue Bulls.

The home side extended their lead early in the second half with a fourth try, this time the result of sloppy breakdown play by the Blue Bulls.

With their title defence aspirations slipping away, the Blue Bulls had to strike back quickly and did so thanks to a strong backline effort. Diego Appollis had a strong run in the midfield and his final pass found Jacobs who scored his second in the corner.

Then replacement scrumhalf, Keagan Johannes, broke wide from a scrum and kicked ahead to regather himself for a spectacular individual effort. That five pointer handed the lead back to the team from Pretoria and they enjoyed a 29-26 advantage with 20 minutes to play.

After this, the Bulls were in control and they started playing with great confidence. Although the Lions managed to score another try, the Blue Bulls crossed the goal line three times in the last fifteen minutes to eventually win fairly easily.