Lions' victory comes at a cost

The Golden Lions' comprehensive 41-13 defeat of the Blue Bulls at Ellis Park on Saturday could prove costly after star flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff left the field with an arm injury.

 

"We are a bit concerned but we don't want to jump to conclusions before he's had his scans," Lions coach Johan Ackermann said after the match.

 

"Jaco van der Walt [his replacement] is a talented player but obviously Marnitz is also a match winner and it will be a big loss if he is out."

 

The coach was, nevertheless, a satisfied man as his team ran in four tries for the crucial full complement of points at home, despite leaving it late to score the fourth try with Warwick Tecklenburg going over the line in the 80th minute.

 

Before the five-pointer, the Lions held a 36-13 lead over the Bulls, yet Ackermann would have been excused feeling slightly empty-handed without the bonus point.

 

"We started to send the message to Warren Whiteley with only nine minutes to go, before that we were quite happy with the win to kick-start the season," Ackermann said.

 

"When the Bulls started that second half so well, suddenly it was not about bonus points but about winning the game.

 

"At that point, it was really an arm wrestle, and once we got the try that took the game away from them, then it only started."

 

The match highlighted the contrast in styles with the Lions playing with unconstrained freedom while doing the basics right.

 

The Lions seemed to have been able to pick up where theu left off in Super rugby carrying through many og their strong points into the provincial showpiece.

 

Whiteley, as the Lions captain, said he was proud of his team-mates for their attitude and the foundation they lay from the start of the match.

 

"I was happy with the intensity that we played with, especially the way we started the first half. We took the points that were on offer but credit must go to the Bulls in that second half.

 

"They put us under a lot of pressure especially in the beginning," he said.

 

"We knew if we just upped the intensity … and the coach made some substitutions and those guys made a difference in the last 20 minutes and we got that bonus point which is very important in any competition."