Lions show their class against Sunwolves

EMIRATES Lions yet again registered an away win when they beat the Sunwolves in Singapore during round six of Vodacom Super Rugby on March 23.

The Lions took control of the match and showed their class to record a 37-24 win against the Sunwolves.

A first-half brace by Lions captain and hooker Malcolm Marx and four tries in quick succession after the break were more than enough for the Lions as they beat the Sunwolves.

Marx was massively influential in the first half when things were still pretty tight. His two tries came from the back of rolling mauls, while he also won two crucial penalties on the ground with his ball-poaching capabilities.

Sunwolves got on the scoreboard first through an early penalty try when Sylvian Mahuza failed to intercept and was yellow-carded in the process. Then Marx took control and the visitors went into the sheds leading with 12-7.

The second half started a bit slower and the Sunwolves closed the gap to 12-10 before Nic Groom showed great awareness as he broke close to the try line after a strong Lions maul in the 52nd minute.

Five minutes later, Elton Jantjies popped up on the blind side to cross in the right-hand corner for another well-worked try. The men from Johannesburg stretched their lead even more on the hour mark when Lionel Mapoe went over from a move that was sparked by a great run by Aphiwe Dyantyi, who had just come on as a replacement.

The Sunwolves finally breached the Lions’ defence in the 65th minute when Rahboni Warren Vosayaco crashed over, but the visitors were not done yet and Hacjivah Dayimani got their sixth try in the 75th minute.

Vosayaco scored his second just before the end, but by then the victory was already sealed for the Lions. The Joburg side has a bye this weekend.

The only South African team that could also manage a win on Saturday was the Cell C Sharks when they raked in a 28-14 win over the Rebels in Durban.

The DHL Stormers played courageously, but went down 34-28 to the Hurricanes in Wellington, while the Vodacom Bulls had a bad day in Pretoria where they suffered a 56-20 loss to the Chiefs.

Vodacom Bulls go down

Damian McKenzie provided the spark for the Chiefs as they romped to a comprehensive 56-20 victory over the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon for their first win in Pretoria since 2001.

The Chiefs have struggled to find form before this Vodacom Super Rugby round six encounter, losing four and drawing one of their previous five games.

The Kiwis led 24-6 at half-time and eventually outscored the home side by seven tries to two to register their first success of the year. McKenzie was full of running from the full-back position and he initiated many of their tries with some sniping runs from the back.

He was on par with his kicking duties as well, landing six conversions and three penalties for a personal tally of 21 points, for which he was deservingly rewarded with the Man of the Match accolade. Solomon Alaimalo (2), Alex Nankivell (2), Brodie Retallick (2) and replacement Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi scored the tries for the visitors.

The men from Pretoria returned from a week layoff and they struggled to find any rhythm in the first half. They were guilty of committing far too many handling errors and also allowed themselves to be pinned down for large periods of times in their own half of the field.

They were also dealt a heavy blow in the first half when influential number eight Duane Vermeulen left the field because of a knee injury.

The home team’s midfielders, Jesse Kriel and Burger Odendaal, scored their only two tries in the second half, but the Chiefs never really looked in trouble as they controlled possession and territory for their first win of the campaign.

This week the Vodacom Bulls travel to Durban to take on the Cell C Sharks while the Chiefs fly to Argentina to face the Jaguares.

Stormers fall short against Hurricanes

The DHL Stormers almost caused an upset in Wellington, but ultimately paid the price for too many missed tackles and a high error count as the Hurricanes won their Vodacom Super Rugby clash by 34-28.

It was in the second half when the home team sped up play and shifted the ball out wide that the Stormers paid the price. Wes Goosen, who was born in East London, scored two of the Hurricanes’ five tries, both after the break.

The final nail was hammered into the Capetonians’ coffin by All Black fly half Beauden Barrett with his first try of the year in the 72nd minute.

The home team then had to work hard to keep the Stormers out in the final moments of the match for their third consecutive home victory over the men in blue and white, whose pack of forwards put up a good performance on the night.

Leading by 21-15 at half-time, the Stormers managed to keep the pressure on the Kiwis, but apart from missing crucial tackles, they also didn’t capitalise on the opportunities they created. The visitors also failed to relieve pressure with their tactical kicking.

Springboks Siya Kolisi and Bongi Mbonambi scored first-half tries while replacement flanker Jaco Coetzee added his name to the score sheet after the break, and SP Marais added 13 points with the boot.

Injuries to a number of their forwards disrupted the Stormers’ momentum – they lost locks JD Schickerling and Salmaan Moerat, as well as Coetzee in the second half, which meant Mbonambi had to return to the field and finished the game at flank. The Cape side face the Blues in their next tour game in Auckland on Saturday and the Hurricanes host the Crusaders on Friday.

The other round six results are:

Blues 33, Highlanders 26

Waratahs 20, Crusaders 12

Reds 36, Brumbies 14

For free daily local news in the south, visit our sister newspapers Alberton Record, Comaro Chronicle, Southern Courier and Get it Joburg South Magazine.

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