Lions lower Waratahs' colours
The Lions sealed what is now their best season by some distance, with a 27-22 win over a hard-charging Waratahs team at Ellis Park on Saturday.
It was the Johannesburg-based team's ninth win of the season and means they will go to Newlands next week to face the Stormers in a match that may well decide the South African conference.
The losing bonus point saw the Waratahs move back to the top of the Australian conference, while the Lions remain in seventh place.
The result by the gutsy and skilful Lions team also kept alive their hopes of reaching the play-offs.
The Lions are three points behind the Stormers in the South African conference, after the Cape Town outfit scored a bonus-point 42-12 win over the Cheetahs earlier Saturday.
To have any chance of a first appearance in the play-offs, the Lions must beat the Stormers in Cape Town next weekend.
That will be the last league match of the season for the Johannesburg team, while the Cape Town side are away to the Durban-based Sharks a week later.
After building a 17-point second-half advantage, the Lions conceded two tries and then missed three penalty kicks as a tense finish unfolded.
But when the Australian side moved menacingly into South African territory after the full-time hooter sounded, they surrendered possession at a maul to suffer a fifth loss this season.
Waratahs contributed to their downfall by having two players yellow-carded.
Wing Rob Horne was sent to the sin bin on 27 minutes for a dangerous 'spear' tackle on Lions centre Lionel Mapoe.
And South Africa-born substitute flank Jacques Potgieter got an early second-half yellow card for a late, no-arms tackle on Lions No.8 and skipper Warren Whiteley.
It could have been worse, as Waratahs scrumhalf Nick Phipps escape a card – just – after smashing a Lions player from behind, way off the ball.
The broad smile of Warren Whiteley after a great advertisement for the Southern Hemisphere championship suggested he had won a multi-million-dollar lottery.
"This was a huge win as we had so much respect for the defending champions," he said.
"I am so proud of my boys for the way we attacked and defended. The manner in which we kept the Waratahs out at times was awesome."
Waratahs skipper and lock Dave Dennis admitted a sloppy first-half showing, which ended with his team trailing 10-17, proved costly.
"We were poor in the opening half with average defending and some set-piece problems," he conceded.
"You cannot afford to give these Lions momentum and that is what we did. Our discipline was also disappointing.
"But I am proud of the way we fought back during the second half."
Wing Ruan Combrinck scored a sixth-minute try converted by flyhalf Elton Jantjies for the Lions before Waratahs playmaker Bernard Foley kicked a penalty.
Foley converted a try by flank Stephen Hoiles to give the Waratahs the lead for the only time, Jantjies levelled off a penalty and converted another Combrinck try to close the first-half scoring.
By the 49th minute the Lions were 27-10 ahead – as Jantjies slotted another penalty and converted a try from centre Harold Vorster.
But Waratahs centre Kurtley Beale created tries for centre Adam Ashley-Cooper and Horne, one of which Foley converted, to set up a tense climax.
Man of the match: Adam Ashley-Cooper is in some of the best form of his life, while Taqele Naiyaravoro was a monster with ball in hand and on defence. Michael Hooper is never far from the action. As has so often been the case this season flyhalf Bernard Foley was the Waratahs' general and the man that gave them direction. You can put down all 23 names from the Lions' team sheet. This was a team effort – a show of expansive intent, excitement, entertaining rugby and bravery. It would be unfair to single out individuals in such a fine performance.
Scorers:
For the Lions:
Ties: Combrink 2, Vorster
Cons: Jantjies 3
Pens: Jantjies 2
For the Waratahs:
Tries: Hoiles, Ashley-Cooper, Horne
Cons: Foley 2
Pen: Foley
Yellow cards: Rob Horne (Waratahs, 27 – foul play, spear tackle), Jacques Potgieter (Waratahys, 44 – foul play, no-arms tackle without the ball)
Teams:
Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Francois de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley (captain), 7 Warwick Tecklenburg, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Martin Muller, 3 Julian Redelinghuys, 2 Armand van der Merwe, 1 Schalk van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Ruan Dreyer, 19 Robert Kruger, 20 Albertus Smith, 21 Dillon Smit, 22 Marnitz Boshoff, 23 Nicolaas Hanekom.
Waratahs: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Rob Horne, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Stephen Hoiles, 5 David Dennis (captain), 4 Mitchell Chapman, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Hugh Roach, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 David Porecki, 17 Jeremy Tilse, 18 Paddy Ryan, 19 Jacques Potgieter, 20 Dean Mumm, 21 Pat McCutcheon, 22 Brendan McKibbin, 23 Matt Carraro.
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Lesego Legoete (South Africa), Jaco van Heerden (South Africa)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa)
