Lions wins SA Conference to get playoffs position
Lions overturned a 12-point deficit to defeat the Bulls and clinch a second overall place on the log.
Emirates Lions overturned a twelve-point deficit to defeat the Vodacom Bulls 38-12 in Johannesburg on July 14 and clinch the South African Conference for the third successive year, while also finishing second in the overall standings to secure a home quarter-final over the weekend against the Jaguares.
A few hours later, the Cell C Sharks also secured their place in the knockout phase by beating the Jaguares 20-10 in their Vodacom Super Rugby Round 19 fixture in Durban. The KwaZulu-Natalians grabbed the eighth spot on the overall log and as a result, they will now play against log leaders the Crusaders, next weekend in Christchurch.
In the two other conferences, the Crusaders finished as runaway winners in New Zealand, while the Waratahs clinched Australian honours despite losing to the Brumbies on Saturday, a result which opened the door for the Emirates Lions to finish second overall.
Photo: Gordon Arons.
The Vodacom Bulls made an encouraging start and quickly raced into a 12-0 lead against their Gauteng neighbours. Tries by Manie Libbok (fly half) and Jesse Kriel (centre) handed the Pretoria outfit the early advantage. The Highvelders, however, kept their composure and scored 19 unanswered points to lead 19-12 at the break.
Ruan Combrinck (wing), Malcolm Marx (hooker) and the returning Courtnall Skosan (wing) each dotted down before the break for the home side. The Emirates Lions dominated the second half, which resulted in a penalty try and two more tries, for Combrinck and Aphiwe Dyantyi (replacement wing).
In the last round-robin fixture of the competition, the Cell C Sharks knew they had to win against the Jaguares to advance to the playoffs after the Rebels lost 37-43 earlier in the day against the Highlanders in Dunedin. The Durbanites downed the Argentineans by 20-10 in wet conditions to snatch the last playoff spot and secure a trip to Christchurch.
Photo:Gordon Arons
Lively hooker Akker van der Merwe was again one of the standout players for the team from Durban. Van der Merwe and Kobus van Wyk (wing) were the try scorers for the Cell C Sharks, while Robert du Preez (fly half) added the rest of the points with the boot.
So, after 19 rounds of thrilling action, the Emirates Lions finished top of the SA standings with 46 points, followed by the Jaguares (38), Cell C Sharks (36), DHL Stormers (29) and the Vodacom Bulls (29).
The quarter-finals fixtures (home side first):
July 20:
9.35am: Hurricanes v Chiefs – Westpac Stadium, Wellington
July 21
9.35am: Crusaders vs Cell C Sharks – AMI Stadium, Christchurch
12.05pm: Waratahs v Highlanders – Allianz Stadium, Sydney
3.05pm: Emirates Lions vs Jaguares – Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg.
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