Lions thump lacklustre Sharks

MATCH REPORT: The Lions have bounced back in sterling fashion to clinch a 34-22 victory over the Sharks in their rescheduled United Rugby Championship Round Eight clash at Ellis Park on Saturday.

This performance catapulted them back into the URC Top Eight after scoring four tries to the Sharks ‘ three .

The Lions had a good start, and minutes from the kickoff scrumhalf Morne van den Berg had a beautiful break through the middle, indicating an intention to have a fast start.

A three-pointer by Chris Smith got the homesdie on the scoreboard early.

Following that, the Sharks were now charging towards the Lions’ 22, and Jurenzo Julius almost worked his way through the defence.

This took them to within scoring distance with a scrum inside the red zone.

Winning a penalty after Bronson Mills held on to the ball a little too long, the Sharks opted for a touch finder and set up a maul.

It worked in their favour as Fez Mbatha got over for the Sharks’ first try. Siya Masuku added the extras to take the lead 7-3.

But then the hero became the culprit when Mbatha didn’t roll away in the ruck, and Smith hammered another penalty kick through the uprights to edge closer once more.

After 30 minutes of play, Jaden Hendrikse got his marching orders for cynical play.

All of a sudden, the Lions were on the Sharks’ porch, and wasted no time getting over the line. It was that big man, Asenathi Ntlabakany,e who broke away like a centre from behind the pack.

Smith converted, and the homeside was ahead 13-7 with eight minutes remaining until halftime.

A beautiful dink over the top by Van den Berg had put the Lions on the front foot. Kelly Mpeku collected and popped to the No. 9, who scored.

Smith’s conversion took his tally in the URC to 39, making him the top points scorer in the competition.

At this stage, the Sharks’ forwards were huffing and puffing, looking like the altitude was having a real effect.

The Lions, in contrast, could feel the momentum shifting as their forwards kept going forward relentlessly.

Having to see out the first half without Hendrikse proved to be a real challenge for the Durbanites as the Lions made quick progress with their man advantage.

Hendrikse was back on, two minutes before halftime, just as the Lions’ big flanker Ruan Venter departed for an HIA (head injury assessment).

A 50-22 by the Sharks saw them make a charge with a minute to go. A call of foul play by Francois Venter on a possible high tackle by Bronson Mills was referred to the TMO after what seemed like a clash of heads.

Mills was sent to the sin bin after the halftime hooter went, while Masuku added three points to their tally, reducing the deficit to 10-20.

The Lions had a good momentum start in the second half, their forwards driving one after the other.

This saw them with a five-metre lineout. They were persistent with the pick and go; there were desperate tackles by the Sharks. Then the try was awarded for the Lions, down to 14 men, as Siba Mahashe forced his way over.

Some back-and-forth kicking after the restart, and the Sharks came away with a penalty after an aerial-borne penalty was committed by the Lions. The Sharks put it into touch at the 5, and they made it work.

Zimbabwean international Tino Mavasere got over; the conversion was miss and the Sharks still had a lot of work to do, trailing by 15-27.

After Venter’s bonus point try minutes later, the Sharks were in all sorts of trouble. Without a host of their Springboks, they looked like a shadow of the side that beat the Stormers twice.

Consecutive mistakes from the Sharks were adding up quickly as the match entered the final quarter.

But the Lions lost their replacement hooker, Franco Marais, for a high tackle, as the third yellow card was issued in the game.

As the clock was winding down, the last ten minutes, the Lions were comfortably ahead by 34-15 and not likely to take their foot off the gas.

In what looked like a well-worked try by the Sharks, centre Jurenzo Julius took matters into his own hands as the only back to actually run straight and strong, got on his bike down the middle, passed to Fassi, who popped it back to him to score.

*To relive all the action, CLICK HERE!

But a replay indicated Mavashere stepped in front of a Lions defender, and the try was chalked off.

It seemed like Springbok stars like Fassi, Hendrikse, and Van der Merwe struggled to assert themselves in a team full of second-stringers.

The last four minutes became a comedy of eros as the Lions were merely running down the clock while the Sharks tried too hard, making even more silly unforced errors.

The Sharks tried desperately, even after the hooter had gone, and once more Julius worked hard.

But they were playing backwards, and then finally the Sharks winger got a reward for all his effort, scoring the Durbanites’ third try.

Man of the Match: Kelly Mpeku – the Lions winger had Bok flyer Edwill van der Merwe’s number, outstepping him and winning the aerial battle with precision and accuracy. He was on fire.

Scorers:

For the Lions:
Tries: Ntlabakanye, Van den Berg, Mahashe, Venter
Cons: Smith 4
Pens: Smith 2

For the Sharks:
Tries: Mbatha, Mavasere, Julius
Cons: Masuku, Hendrikse
Pens: Masuku

Yellow cards: Jaden Hendrikse (Sharks, 28’ for cynical play), Bronson Mills (Lions, 41’ – head contact); Franco Marais (for Lions, 61’ – high tackle)

Teams:

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Bronson Mills, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Siba Mahashe, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 RF Schoeman, 18 Eddie Davids, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 Renzo du Plessis, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Erich Cronjé.

Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Jurenzo Julius, 11 Jaco Williams, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Thomas Dyer, 7 Vincent Tshituka (captain), 6 Tino Mavesere, 5 Jason Jenkins, 4 Corne Rahl, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Phatu Ganyane
Replacements: 16, Eduan Swart, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Emile van Heerden, 20 Phepsi Buthelezi, 21 Ross Braude, 22 Jordan Hendrikse, 23 Yaw Penxe

Referee: Griffin Colby (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa), Zoe Naude (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)