Lions rake in impressive win
It was a four out of four for the South African franchises with four out of the five recorded wins.
Emirates Lions took everyone by surprise when they recorded a first-ever win over the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday, March 5.
The victory also marked back-to-back wins for the Johannesburg team in the 2016 edition of the Vodacom Super Rugby competition and its fourth consecutive overseas victory in the tournament.
In Pretoria, the Vodacom Bulls registered a rewarding 45-25 victory against the Rebels at Loftus Versfeld as they outscored the visitors six tries to four. But coach Nollis Marais and his team will be disappointed about allowing their tries bonus point to slip away after leading 42-3 in the second half. The win was significant as it ended a six-match losing streak for the side.
The DHL Stormers, meanwhile, built on their strong start to the season and registered a 20-10 victory in a physical clash against the Toyota Cheetahs in Bloemfontein. In Durban, the Cell C Sharks registered a hard-earned 19-15 victory against the Jaguares of Argentina. The Southern Kings, meanwhile, had a bye.
In the other matches, the Crusaders defeated the Blues 28-13 in Christchurch, the Brumbies beat the Waratahs 32-15 in Canberra, the Highlanders pipped the Hurricanes 17-16 in Dunedin and the Force registered a valuable 22-6 away victory against the Reds in Brisbane.
Chiefs 32 (11) Emirates Lions 36 (19)
The Emirates Lions were in fine form against the Chiefs in Hamilton and delivered a solid performance on attack, defence and in the scrums to secure a memorable first win in Hamilton. Their halfbacks Elton Jantjies and Faf de Klerk played a crucial role in capitalising on their solid performance up front and bringing their exciting backline into the fold. With both teams playing hard-running rugby, the match was thrilling from start to end.
The Chiefs started the match strongly as they retained possession and threatened to score early on, but mistakes at crucial times denied them from crossing the chalk. Their efforts finally paid off in the 20th minute as they scored their first try. The Emirates Lions, however, responded well by taking control in the scrums and supporting this with an inspiring attacking performance featuring stunning support play. This earned them their first try in the 32nd minute compliments of hooker Malcolm Marx, while Jantjies kicked five out of five in the first half to guide the team to a 19-11 halftime lead.
The South Africans built on this form in the second half with wing Courtnall Skosan taking advantage of a yellow card by the Chiefs to score their second try in the 47th minute. Back-to-back tries by the Chiefs pushed them 25-24 ahead, but further tries by Emirates Lions skipper Warren Whiteley and wing Ruan Combrinck handed the Johannesburg side a sufficient lead to survive a late try by the Chiefs in the 70th minute and secure the 36-32 victory.
“Thankful for the win, and proud of the players and management. The team showed good control when we were ahead and behind,” said head coach Johan Ackermann. “The players stayed with the game plan and our tight phases were good. We had a few soft moments on defence and although we won, we still have a lot of aspects to work on in attack and defence that wasn’t good and we almost lost the game through our own doing. Credit to the Chiefs – they just don’t give up. We will enjoy the win because it is a good win, but the competition is still long and there is still a lot of rugby left. We can’t get too excited and every week everything starts all over again.”
In the meantime replacement centre Jacques Nel is under way as replacement. Three players headed home, Harold Vorster – knee and Fabian Booysen – eyelid, were injured, while Lionel Mapoe returned home for the birth of his baby.
The Emirates Lions are based in Rotorua in New Zealand for the next four days.
Scorers:
Emirates Lions 36 (19) – Tries: Courtnall Skosan, Malcolm Marx, Ruan Combrinck, Warren Whiteley. Conversions: Elton Jantjies (2). Penalties: Elton Jantjies (4).
Chiefs 32 (11) – Tries: Brad Weber, Damian McKenzie, James Lowe, Tom Sanders. Conversions: Damian McKenzie (3). Penalties: Damian McKenzie (2).
Vodacom Bulls 45 (28) Rebels 25 (3)
The Vodacom Bulls produced a solid first-half display against the Rebels as they scored four tries to none by the visitors for a convincing 28-3 half-time lead. Both teams tried hard to work their way onto the front foot, but the Vodacom Bulls’ effectiveness at stretching the Rebels defence paid off as all of their tries were scored out wide. They supported this with a good defensive effort, which created headaches for the visitors as they were unable to break through and, on many occasions, opted to kick behind the defence without success. Vodacom Bulls wing Bjorn Basson scored the first try in the 11th minute, while the other tries were scored by Travis Ismaiel and flanks Nick de Jager and Jannes Kirsten. In return, the Rebels’ only first-half points came from an early penalty.
Basson added the Vodacom Bulls’ fifth try soon after the restart, compliments of a clever grubber by fullback Warrick Gelant, with Basson adding another from an intercept minutes later for a 42-3 lead, which sealed his hat-trick. A strong fightback by the Rebels combined with the hosts letting down their guard on defence, and allowed the Rebels to score four unanswered tries to cancel out the home team’s bonus point. Interestingly, the Vodacom Bulls’ only points in the last quarter was a penalty by flyhalf Francois Brummer, which sealed their 45-25 victory.
Scorers:
Vodacom Bulls 45 (28) – Tries: Bjorn Basson (3), Jannes Kirsten, Nick de Jager, Travis Ismaiel. Conversions: Francois Brummer (6). Penalty: Francois Brummer.
Rebels 25 (3) – Tries: Ben Meehan (2), James Hanson, Jonah Placid. Conversion: Jack Debreczeni. Penalty: Jack Debreczeni.
Toyota Cheetahs 10 (7) DHL Stormers 20 (7)
The clash between the Toyota Cheetahs and DHL Stormers was a high-tempo physical encounter, as both teams tried hard on attack and stood their ground on defence. The Cape side struck first with a try by wing Leolin Zas, who took advantage of space out wide to dash to the tryline in the 15th minute. Toyota Cheetahs flyhalf Fred Zeilinga missed a penalty soon after, but the hosts quick handling after a successful lineout saw captain and centre Francois Venter touch down in the 20th minute to level the scores at 7-7.
The Toyota Cheetahs suffered a setback in the 48th minute as 2015 SA Rugby player of the year Lood de Jager received a yellow card for a high tackle. The Cape side made the most of the opportunity, with flank Sikhumbuszo Notshe bursting through a tackle to score his team’s second try of the match. The teams continued to fight hard for points in the dying minutes, and both opted for penalties, with the Vodacom Cheetahs slotting over one to two by the DHL Stormers, which guided the visitors to a 20-10 lead and denied the hosts a bonus point for losing by seven points or less.
Scorers:
Toyota Cheetahs 10 (7) – Try: Francois Venter. Conversion: Fred Zeilinga. Penalty: Fred Zeilinga.
DHL Stormers 20 (7) – Tries: Leolin Zas, Sikhumbuszo Notshe. Conversions: Kurt Coleman, Robert du Preez. Penalties: Kurt Coleman (2).
Cell C Sharks 19 (13) Jaguares 15 (15)
The first half between the Cell C Sharks and Jaguares was unstructured as both teams battled to find their rhythm on attack and stability in the scrums, resulting in the sides capitalising on opportunistic chances to get points on the board. The Jaguares signalled their intentions early on with a try out wide in the fifth minute, but the hosts retaliated soon after with a try from rolling maul, compliments of Springbok loose forward Marcell Coetzee.
The Cell C Sharks managed to break through the defence a few times in the half, but mistakes at crucial times and a solid defensive effort by the visitors denied them from crossing the tryline. The teams opted for penalties as the half progressed to keep the scoreboard ticking, with Cell C Sharks flyhalf Joe Pietersen slotting over two to only one by the Jaguares to hand his side a 13-10 lead. The Jaguares were dealt a big blow in the last 10 minutes of the half as both their flanks received yellow cards within two minutes. But despite this they shut out the Cell C Sharks and managed to score a try on the stroke of halftime with 13 men for a 15-13 lead at the break.
Pietersen kicked his third penalty in the third quarter to nudge the side 16-15 ahead on the scoreboard. Their dominance in the scrums, however, granted them a chance to stretch their lead to 19-15 with 12 minutes left on the clock thanks to Pietersen’s fourth penalty.
Scorers:
Cell C Sharks 19 (13) – Try: Marcell Coetzee. Conversion: Joe Pietersen. Penalties: Joe Pietersen (4).
Jaguares 15 (15) – Tries: Emiliano Bofelli, Santiago Cordero. Conversion: Nicolas Sanchez. Penalty: Nicolas Sanchez.
Read more:
https://www.citizen.co.za/southern-courier/90999/will-lions-play-chiefs-on-saturday/
