Lions roar in dying minutes against Reds

JOHANNESBURG – The mighty Lions roared past the Reds in the dying minutes of their Vodacom Super Rugby match scoring two late tries.

The Lions came from behind to win against the Reds 23-20 before an energetic home crowd on Saturday March 22.

The side from Johannesburg was still 20-6 behind at halftime and with the Reds’ Quade Cooper doing all the work and scoring for his team in the first half.

But it was a mighty front row performance by the young and enthusiastic young Lions side which gave them the win in the closing minutes of the match. They scored 17 unanswered points in the second half.

In the process, Lions flyhalf and kicking ace Marnitz Boshoff became the first player this season to reach 100 points when he kicked his second penalty goal in the 40th minute of the match.

“This was a great performance by the entire team and a nail-biter,” said Head coach Johan Ackermann, “we have lost our only Springbok, Franco van der Merwe, very early in the match and the players had to show their worth throughout the game.”

“The Reds tried to unsettle the scrums and our line-outs weren’t perfect, but we held own own. I think there are more players who are injured but the bye this week will give them time to recuperate.”

The Lions will have a bye this weekend and will then play the Crusaders on Saturday April 5 at Ellis Park. The kick-off is at 17:05.

“At times we were a bit loose, but we had to concentrate and our defence stood the test of time and I am very proud of the team. This was a good team effort,” said captain Warren Whiteley.

It was a rather scrappy match, but the Lions won’t mind after they staged one of the finest fightbacks of recent times. The home team’s performance in the first half wasn’t great and the Reds, through flyhalf Quade Cooper, who scored all their points, pounced when they got the chance.

The men from Gauteng were behind by 20-3 shortly before the break, when Marnitz Boshoff slotted his second penalty goal to make the score at half-time 20-6, as the Lions flyhalf became the first player to reach 100 season points.

The home team controlled possession for most of the second half as they started finding their groove. Boshoff added another penalty goal before Lionel Mapoe’s converted try in the 65th minute made it a four-point game.

Courtnall Skosan scored what turned out to be the match-winner in the 77th minute, after a period of sustained Lions pressure during which two Reds players were sin-binned for professional fouls.

But the visitors didn’t give up and the Lions’ defence was properly tested in the dying moments. They held out though and won their third straight home game of the season – a feat they last achieved in 2007.

Lions 23 (6) Reds 20 (20)

Scorers:

Lions – Tries: Lionel Mapoe, Courtnall Skosan. Conversions: Marnitz Boshoff (2). Penalty goals: Boshoff (3).

Reds – Tries: Quade Cooper (2). Conversions: Cooper (2). Penalty goals: Cooper (2).

In the final match of the weekend Vadacom Super Rugby, the Cell C Sharks lost their first encounter of 2014 when they went down 23-19 to a determined Vodacom Bulls side at Loftus Versfeld.

The home team outscored their visitors from Durban by two tries to one in a typically tough South African derby, where room to move was kept to a minimum through good defence, which also forced both sides to make too many mistakes.

Earlier on Saturday, the Toyota Cheetahs came unstuck against the Blues in Auckland (40-30), while the DHL Stormers played well but not well enough as they lost by 25-15 to the Brumbies in Canberra.

In probably the upset of round six, the only other unbeaten side in the competition, the defending champion Chiefs lost by 18-15 to the Force in Perth.

Other results – Round 6:

Highlanders 35 Hurricanes 31 (Dunedin)

Waratahs 32 Rebels 8 (Sydney)

Force 18 Chiefs 15 (Perth)