Lions go top after Sharks rout
It is a result that saw the Lions go to the top of the Super Rugby standings and securing first place in the Africa Two conference with two rounds to go.
They are also just one win away from first place in the combined Africa conference.
And they thoroughly deserve to be where they are.
Their hour of real play was excellent, and their crowd turned up to enjoy it with them – 33 862 of them.
That it was a derby helped and so did the five o'clock kick-off. But above all it was testimony to how well they have been playing and to the part their players played in getting the Springboks a victory in the Irish series.
In that first hour, the Lions never looked harassed, under any sort of pressure, even when they were. On the other hand the Sharks always looked under pressure, even when they weren't. As a result the Lions stayed calm and creative, playing quickly, passing with skill at a sympathetic height and in front of the man they were passing to while the Sharks' passing was erratic.
The Sharks competed well at the breakdown but their scrums were a mess. The starting Lions' pack destroyed them. But with nearly an hour gone the Lions started giving all of their bench players a game, satisfied that the victory was in the bank. Then the Sharks dominated the scrums, their confidence rose and they scored two tries, just one short of denying the Lions a bonus point.
The Sharks suffered late changes in the centre. Injury forced André Esterhuizen out on Thursday and inside five minutes of the match Paul Jordaan injured a hamstring and went off to be replaced by Heimar Williams.
At the kick-off both sides ran in a remarkably energetic period of play that lasted nearly four minutes and was stopped only by a drop-out.
The Lions played on like that while the Sharks gave it up for kicking here and there without any profit at all.
The second penalty of the match was against Franco Marais for playing a man who did not have the ball, and Elton Jantjies goaled. 3-0 after 7 minutes.
The first try was astonishing. Inside his own half Faf de Klerk kicked high downfield where Michael Claassens waited for the ball with plenty of time to do so. But Courtnall Skosan chased the ball and was getting closer to Claassens. Claassens did not touch the ball which landed next to him. The Lions moved right – Lionel Mapoe with an underarm offload to Jaco Kriel who burst free and passed to Ruan Combrinck who had an easy jog to the line. 8-0 after 15 minutes.
From a penalty Jantjies kicked a long and brilliant kick to his right for a line-out five metres from the Sharks' line. The Sharks weathered the initial storm but then the Lions attacked at speed from a scrum on their left. Mostert charged to within four metres of the goal-line. Malcolm Marx got even closer and Skosan closer still. Ruan Ackermann got right to the line where he was held up but Rohan Janse van Rensburg grabbed the ball off him, whirled round and scored. 13-0 after 27 minutes.
The Lions were able to attack at speed and so advancing their phases because of the speed with which De Klerk got to the ball and distributed right and left without crabbing across the field.
Not long afterwards Combrinck chipped. The ball hit the ground and the mischievous thing bounced away from Lwazi Mvovo. Ackermann was on hand to pick up the ball and pass to Marx who score in the right corner. From far out Jantjies converted. 20-0 after 31 minutes.
When Julian Redelinghuys lost the ball, the Sharks sent Mvovo flying down the left. His pass inside to Odwa Ndungane was high and Ndungane could not catch it. But the Lions got hold of it and advanced 50 metres down the field in fast phase. This time Ackermann powered his way over for a try under the posts. 27-0, which was the half-time score.
When the Sharks were penalised for being within 10 metres of a landing kick, Jantjies goaled. 30-0 after 42 minutes.
A penalty gave the Sharks an attacking line-out but Mostert won it, and Skosan and Mapoe broke out down the midfield. Sibusiso Sithole tacked Mapoe and the Sharks ran. The Lions came back on the attack and the Sharks ran from their own goal-line. The Lions regained possession and Jantjies chipped but Mapoe knocked the bouncing ball on at the line. It was lively and exciting.
A penalty gave the Lions a five-metre line-out on their left. The Sharks collapsed the maul and the referee played advantage. The Lions went right where De Klerk gave Kriel a long pass. The ran through Claassens and Rhyno Smith. Mvovo could not stop him and the Lions' captain of the day scored far out. From far out Jantjies converted. 37-0 after 58 minutes.
For the next 22 minutes the Lions did not score a point but they did give their substitutes a chance to enjoy the occasion, starting with the whole front row. The Sharks also made changes and they then got the better of the scrums.
From a scrum the Sharks went left. Smith came into the line and Mvovo stepped inside Combrinck to score. 37-5.
In this period of the game the Lions were repeatedly penalised. The Sharks turned one into a six-metre line-out and mauled successfully, the try going to Chiliboy Ralepelle. 37-10 with 11 minutes to play..
In those 11 minutes the Sharks had a five-metre line-out which the Lions repelled. They also had a five-metre penalty which they tapped but lost the ball to a turnover. In this period, too, Ross Cronje, playing flyhalf, broke from a scrum and raced a long way down the midfield. But there was no further scoring.
Man of the Match: There were obvious candidates in Elton Jantjies, Warwick Tecklenburg, Courtnall Skosan and Ruan Combrinck and more obvious ones in Franco Mostert, Jaco Kriel and our choice, Faf de Klerk whose skill and speed of action and thought gave so much life to what was best in the match.
The scorers:
For the Lions:
Tries: Combrinck, Janse van Rensburg, Marx, Ackermann, Kriel
Cons: Jantjies 2
Pens: Jantjies 3
For the Sharks:
Tries: Mvovo, Ralepelle
Teams:
Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Rohan Janse Van Rensburg, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Francois de Klerk, 8 Ruan Ackermann, 7 Warwick Tecklenburg, 6 Jaco Kriel (captain), 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 Lourens Erasmus, 20 Cyle Brink, 21 Ross Cronje, 22 Howard Mnisi, 23 Sylvian Mahuza.
Sharks: 15 Odwa Ndungane, 14 Sibusiso Sithole, 13 Jon-Paul Pietersen, 12 Paul Jordaan, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Garth April, 9 Michael Claassens, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Keegan Daniel, 5 Stephan Lewies, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Franco Marais, 1 Tendai Mtawarira (captain).
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Ruan Botha, 20 Lubabalo Mtembu, 21 Stefan Ungerer, 22 Rhyno Smith, 23 Heimar Williams.
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: Quinton Immelman, Lesego Legoete
TMO: Johan Greeff
