EMIRATES Lions are on top of their game at this stage of the 2016 Vodacom Super Rugby campaign and thus far had the most successful rally in this competition in their franchise history.
On Friday, July 8, the local team from Johannesburg not only ripped through the Southern Kings ranks but also received the Vodacom Super Rugby Africa Conference 2 trophy which by far is their most important silverware they can show for their fans.
The Lions won their second last match against the Southern Kings 57 -21 to reach the play-off stages with a bumper 52 points.
They will finish the league stages this coming weekend on Saturday, July 16, against the Jaguares in Buenos Aires with the knowledge that a bonus point win will hand them top spot on the overall standings – and with that the benefit of home advantage during the knockout stages.
The visitors from Port Elizabeth restricted the home side to a competitive 17-7 halftime score. However, yellow cards to Shane Gates for being offside, and Edgar Marutlulle for a breakdown infringement, cost the Kings heavily on the scoreboard.
Burly centre Johan Janse van Rensburg had another good match in midfield and he dotted down a brace of tries for the Highveld team. Andries Coetzee, Faf de Klerk, Franco Mostert, Malcolm Marx, Sylvian Mahuza and Courtnall Skosan each scored a try for the home team.
James Hall, Stefan Watermeyer with an intercept, and Schalk Ferreira with a late consolation effort, were the try scorers for the Kings.
Scorers:
Emirates Lions – Tries: Rohan Janse van Rensburg (2), Andries Coetzee, Faf de Klerk, Franco Mostert, Malcolm Marx, Sylvian Mahuza, and Courtnall Skosan. Conversions: Elton Jantjies (5), and Ruan Combrinck (2). Penalty: Jantjies.
Southern Kings – Tries: James Hall, Stefan Watermeyer, and Schalk Ferreira. Conversions: Louis Fouche (3).
In the meantime DHL Stormers confirmed their place in the Vodacom Super Rugby playoffs courtesy of an impressive 22-3 win over the Western Force in Perth on Saturday. With just one more round of regular fixtures remaining, the Cape side increased their points tally in the Africa Conference 1 to 46, compared to the Vodacom Bulls’ 37.
Although the Cell C Sharks won their match 26-10 against the Toyota Cheetahs in Durban, the Vodacom Bulls remain in the race for the remaining local wildcard position thanks to their runaway 50-3 victory over the Sunwolves in Pretoria. The Pretoria outfit are now just two points behind the Durban side.
Elsewhere, the Blues defeated the Brumbies 40-15 in Auckland and the Chiefs crushed the Reds 50-5 in Brisbane. Both games were played on Friday. On Saturday, the Crusaders galloped to a runaway 85-26 win over the Rebels in Christchurch and the Waratahs lost 28-17 at home in Sydney to the Hurricanes. In the weekend’s final fixture played in Buenos Aires, the Highlanders defeated the Jaguares 34-8.
In the New Zealand conference the Chiefs (51 points), Crusaders (50), Highlanders (48) and Hurricanes (48) are currently occupying the qualifying spots, while the Brumbies (39) are leading the chase in the Australian conference.
Regular fixtures this weekend are:
Friday, July 15:
09:35 Blues vs Waratahs, Auckland
11:45 Reds vs Rebels, Brisbane
19:00 Cell C Sharks vs Sunwolves, Durban
Saturday, July 16:
07:15 Crusaders vs Highlanders, Christchurch
09:35 Highlanders vs Chiefs, Dunedin
11:45 Brumbies vs Western Force, Canberra
17:05 DHL Stormers vs Southern Kings, Newlands
19:15 Toyota Cheetahs vs Vodacom Bulls, Bloemfontein
22:40 Jaguares vs Emirates Lions, Buenos Aires
