Lions extend winning run

MATCH REPORT: Morne van den Berg scored two tries as Lions remained unbeaten at home with a 45-15 win over Ospreys on Friday.

It was not a perfect performance, but the South African side showed great character and scored seven tries for the bonus-point win.

*Recap all the action CLICK HERE!!!

The result is the Lions’ third consecutive victory.

Van den Berg (2), wings Rabz Maxwane and Edwill van der Merwe, flank Francke Horn, plus substitutes Manuel Rass and Andre Warner all touched down for hosts, with Jordan Hendrikse adding five conversions.

The Ospreys, minus their Wales Six Nations players, could only muster tries by Rhys Webb and Michael Collins in reply, while fly-half Josh Thomas kicked a conversion and penalty.

The Lions, who have now won all of their cross-hemisphere clashes on home soil, took an 11th-minute lead when Maxwane finished impressively following a sustained spell of pressure.

Hendrikse converted – he missed a straightforward penalty chance just two minutes earlier – as the Ospreys’ bright start was dimmed under the floodlights.

The Lions’ chief ball-carriers – back-row brothers Vincent and Emmanuel Tshituka – looked to make ground at every opportunity, but the Ospreys also had their fair share of territory, with Webb probing for space amid a fast and furious pace.

Thomas opened their account through an angled penalty 10 minutes before half-time, yet both sides continued to make handling errors and it looked as though the Ospreys would reach the break just four points adrift.

But the Lions had other ideas, and centre Burger Odendaal’s incisive midfield work wreaked havoc in the Ospreys’ defence, and Van den Berg collected his pass to claim an impressive try, with Hendrikse’s conversion opening up a 14-3 interval advantage.

And matters deteriorated within three minutes of the restart as a third Lions try arrived when Horn crashed over from close range, and Hendrikse’s conversion meant the Ospreys had a mountain to climb.

The Lions were almost out of sight, but the Ospreys hauled themselves back into contention following a try for livewire Webb that Thomas converted.

It was only a glimmer of hope, though, and the Lions secured a bonus point through a superb fourth try started by Odendaal, taken on by prop Ruan Dreyer, then centre Wandisile Simelane cut a devastating angle and Van den Berg touched down.

The Ospreys could predictably find no way back, despite Collins’ breakaway score, as Rass, Van der Merwe and Warner completed an emphatic win with late tries.

Man of the match: Wandisile Simelane, Morne van Der Berg and Edwill van der Merwe all deserve a mention. While in the pack Ruan Dreyer and Jaco Visagie were solid. However, our nod goes to Lions captain Burger Odendaal. The centre was impressive, made all his tackles and his carries made a huge impact.

The scorers:

For Lions:
Tries: Maxwane, Van Den Berg 2, Horn, Rass, Van der Merwe, Warner
Cons: Hendrikse 5

For Ospreys:
Tries: Webb, Collins
Con: Thomas
Pen: Thomas

Teams

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Rabz Maxwane, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Burger Odendaal (captain), 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Emmanuel Tshituka, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Francke Horn, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Sithembiso Sithole.
Replacements: 16 Pieter Botha, 17 Jean-Pierre Smith, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Ruan Venter, 20 Sibusiso Sangweni, 21 Andre Warner, 22 Manuel Rass, 23 Tiaan Swanepoel/EW Viljoen.

Ospreys: 15 Dan Evans, 14 Keelan Giles, 13 Michael Collins, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Luke Morgan, 10 Josh Thoma, 9 Rhys Webb (captain), 8 Ethan Roots, 7 Morgan Morris, 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Bradley Davies, 4 Rhys Davies, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Sam Parry, 1 Nicky Smith.
Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Rhodri Jones, 18 Rhys Henry, 19 Will Griffiths, 20 Harri Deaves, 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22 Tiaan Thomas Wheeler, 23 Cai Evans.

Referee: Ben Blain (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Morné Ferreira (South Africa), Stephen Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)

Source: @URCofficial