Lions recuperate in well-deserved rest
Lions having a break after their first few encounters back at Super Rugby.
The Lions and Cheetahs utilised their bye weekend to the fullest, while some of the South African Franchises had to slaughter it out.
The Lions are still in fourth position on the overall log, but share this with three other teams, the Waratahs, Blues and Vodacom Bulls. On the South African Conference the Lions and Vodacom Bulls share the spoils in second position with the local side ahead on points difference.
The Lions will be back on home soil this weekend playing the crusaders. The match will start at 17:05 at Ellis Park.
Vodacom Blue Bulls played at home, Loftus Versfeld, on Saturday March 29 allowing the Chiefs to slip in the back door. After a very scrappy first half, Vodacom Blue Bulls managed to pull their show together and scored successive tries to have manageable points lead.
They had their fourth consecutive victory in their sights until the last minute of their clash against defending champions, the Chiefs, but a last-minute try by Chiefs captain Aaron Cruden and successful conversion by Gareth Anscombe forced them to settle for a disappointing 34-34 draw.
The Cell C Sharks continued to stamp their authority in the Vodacom Super Rugby competition this weekend, as they secured their fifth victory of the season and the DHL Stormers stumbled in their final tour match.
A strong second-half showing by the Cell C Sharks combined with a flawless kicking performance by flyhalf Fred Zeilinga, who punished the Waratahs indiscipline, earned the team a 32-10 victory at Growthpoint Kings Park. The victory allowed the team to remain in pole position on the combined log table.
The team departs for their Australasian tour today knowing that their defence, in particular, needs attention after allowing a 31-15 lead to slip against the Chiefs.
In Brisbane, the DHL Stormers were unsuccessful in their mission to complete their Australasian tour with a victory against the Reds as they went down 22-17, following defeats against the Crusaders, Chiefs and Brumbies.
While the performance was one of their better displays on tour, the fact that they defended most of the time did not assist their cause. The winless tour marked the team’s first since the 1998 season.
The Lions and Toyota Cheetahs, meanwhile, enjoyed byes this weekend.
Vodacom Bulls 34 (14) Chiefs 34 (15).
The Vodacom Bulls’ struggle to make effective one-on-one tackles against the Chiefs cost them a fourth back-to-back victory at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday and forced them to settle for a draw.
Despite this the three-time Vodacom Super Rugby champions will depart for their Australasian tour with confidence, after recovering from two defeats early in the season to remain unbeaten in their last four matches.
The Vodacom Bulls were solid in the set pieces throughout the match, but the Chiefs’ impressive counter-attacking and support play allowed them to run circles around the hosts at times.
Such was the effectiveness of the Chiefs attack they ran in five tries to only three by the home side – three of which were in the last ten minutes. This brace of tries blew an encouraging 31-15 lead by the Vodacom Bulls with 25 minutes to play.
Unfortunately for the Pretoria-side virtually all of the Chiefs tries were created from mistakes or lapses on defence. But while they will work on improving this area of their game as they prepare to face the Hurricanes, Highlanders, Waratahs and Force on tour, their opposition will be wary of the threat posed by flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter, whose impressive kicking display allowed him to slot over five penalties.
Potgieter’s kicking performance catapulted him from ninth place to sixth place on the top point-scorer’s list in the competition with 70 points.
The draw allowed the Vodacom Bulls to stretch their unbeaten run against the Chiefs to six matches, with the Chiefs’ last win against the Pretoria team dating back to 2012.
Scorers:
Vodacom Bulls – Tries: Bjorn Basson, Deon Stegmann, penalty try. Conversions: Jacques-Louis Potgieter (2). Penalty goals: Jacques-Louis Potgieter (5).
Chiefs – Tries: Aaron Cruden, Gareth Anscombe, Liam Messam, Matt Symons, Mils Muliaina. Conversions: Aaron Cruden, Gareth Anscombe (2). Penalty goal: Aaron Cruden.
Other results – Round 7:
Crusaders 26 – 29 Hurricanes (Christchurch)
Rebels 32 – 24 Brumbies (Melbourne)
Blues 30 – 12 Highlanders (Auckland)
