Lions muscle their way to another Super Rugby Final
SUPER RUGBY MATCH REPORT: The Lions advanced to their third straight Super Rugby Final when they beat the Waratahs 44-26 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The Lions will face the Crusaders in next week’s Final in what will be a repeat of last year’s match-up. However, the difference this time around is that the Lions will have to travel to Christchurch.
Earlier on Saturday, the Crusaders advanced to the Final with a 30-12 win over the Hurricanes.
The Lions started their semifinal slowly with the Waratahs enjoying a lot of early possession and showing great intent out wide with some of their big ball runners. Swys de Bruin’s side were 0-14 down after the opening 10 minutes.
The team from Sydney opened the scoring in the fourth minute when the ball was spread through the hands to Ned Hanigan to go over for try after the Lions failed to secure possession under the high ball deep in their own half. Bernard Foley converted the score.
The visitors continued to apply pressure with ball in hand they were in again four minutes later when fullback Israel Folau skipped his way to the tryline from 15 metres. Big wing Taqele Naiyaravoro played a big role in that score with a powerful run down the sidelines before the ball went through a number of phases in the build-up.
Foley once again stepped up to convert the try.
For the Lions to stay in the game they needed to be the next team to score and they did just that. After sustained pressure with ball in hand which started in their own half, the ball found its way to Albertus Smith who powered his way past two Waratahs’ defenders to score his team’s first try.
Elton Jantjies failed with his conversion attempt and after 21 minutes it was 14-5 to the visitors.
The Lions then reduced the lead again in the 26th minute after wing Aphiwe Dyantyi produced a piece of individual brilliance to score his team’s second try. After gathering a kick in his own 22, Dyantyi ran and chipped the ball over the oncoming Waratahs’ defence before gathering and sprinting down the field for the score. Jantjies added the extras with the boot to reduce the deficit to two points.
The home side thought they were in again in the 33rd minute when Francois Mostert was put into space from a quick tap inside the Waratahs’22. However, the TMO ruled that there was a knock on in the build-up to the try.
It was only a brief setback as two minutes later the Lions eventually got their third try after a powerful driving maul in the Waratahs’22 saw Malcolm Marx dot the ball down. Jantjies added the extra two points with the conversion for a five-point lead for the Lions.
However, the Lions’ lead did not last long as the Waratahs had the final say in the first half with a Tom Robertson try after a clever move from a line-out just 10 metres from the home side’s tryline.
Foley could not convert the score and at half-time it was all square at 19-19.
The Lions had an opportunity to draw first blood in the second half with a penalty. However, Jantjies managed to hit the upright from a relatively easy angle.
He did make amends with a much easier kick in the 55th minute to regain the lead for his team
Things got better for the home side a few minutes later when Waratahs’ replacement hooker Damien Fitzpatrick was sent to the sin-bin for lazy running deep inside his own half.
The Lions chose to go for the line-out from the penalty and it was Marx who scored his second try from another powerful driving maul. With 20 minutes left, the Lions had an eight-point lead.
The Lions then took the game by the scruff of the neck when Albertus Smith ran in for his second try of the game in the 63rd minute. With another two points from Jantjies, the Lions had a commanding 15-point lead.
With just under seven minutes left in the game Jantjies landed a long-range penalty to push the lead out to 18 points.
The Waratahs never gave up and they hit back with a Jake Gordon try with just five minutes left on the clock. Foley converted the score to reduce the deficit to 11 points.
However, it was the Lions who ended the game on a high note when Courtnall Skosan ran in for the game’s final try after collecting a neat cross-kick from Jantjies.
Man of the match: Malcolm Marx was impressive again and he scored two tries, while Aphiwe Dyantyi and Andries were dangerous out wide with a number of threatening runs. However, the award goes to flank Albertus Smith who was outstanding in all facets of play. Like Marx, he also scored two tries in the win.
The scorers:
For Lions:
Tries: A Smith 2, Dyantyi, Marx 2, Skosan
Cons: Jantjies 4
Pens: Jantjies 2
For Waratahs:
Tries: Hanigan, Naiyaravoro, Robertson, Gordon
Cons: Foley 3
Yellow card: Damien Fitzpatrick (Waratahs, 57 – offside, lazy running)
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Teams:
Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrink, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Warren Whiteley (captain), 7 Lourens Erasmus, 6 Albertus Smith, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Marvin Orie, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Jacques van Rooyen.
Replacements: 16 Corne Fourie, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Johannes Jonker, 19 Hacjivah Dayimani, 20 Marnus Schoeman, 21 Dillon Smit, 22 Courtnall Skosan, 23 Howard Mnisi.
Waratahs: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Alex Newsome, 13 Curtis Rona, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 10 Bernard Foley (captain), 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Michael Wells, 7 Will Miller, 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Jed Holloway, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tolu Latu, 1 Tom Robertson.
Replacements: 16 Damien Fitzpatrick, 17 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 18 Paddy Ryan, 19 Tom Staniforth, 20 Brad Wilkin, 21 Jake Gordon, 22 Bryce Hegarty, 23 Cam Clark.
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa), Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
