THE Lions returned home from their tour Down Under without capturing a single win and find themselves at the bottom of the log in the South African Conference. They also now share the bottom of the log in the overall standings.
“This tour meant a lot for the players though we have not won a game away. We have to look at our home games now and need to regroup,” said Head coach Johann Ackermann on returning home Monday May 26.
On Saturday morning May 24 in Perth, the Lions fought very hard to win their final tour match, but ultimately came up short as they were beaten by 29-19 by the Force.
The Lions face near neighbours this weekend at Ellis Park.
Cell C Sharks returned from their Australasian tour at the top of the Vodacom Super Rugby log while the Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers continued their good home form this weekend.
The Durbanites beat the Blues for the tenth consecutive time, by 29-23, in Albany on Friday morning. They won three from four on tour Down Under, which is equal to their best tour ever in 2009, and bagged 13 log points in Australasia, firming their grip of the top spot on the standings after four tough games abroad.
Later on Friday, the Vodacom Bulls were at their brutal best as they probably recorded their best win of the season when they dismantled the 2013 runners up, the Brumbies, 44-23 at Loftus Versfeld. The score probably flattered the visitors as the side from Pretoria remained unbeaten at home this season.
Round 15 came to an exciting end in Cape Town on Saturday evening when the DHL Stormers beat the Toyota Cheetahs by 33-0 in a rather one-sided match.
It was only the third time ever a team managed a clean sheet in a South African derby – the first time was in 1999 when the Cell C Sharks beat the Vodacom Bulls by 29-0, while the team from Pretoria beat the Southern Kings by 34-0 last year.
In total, it was the fifth time ever a South African franchise failed to score a point in a Vodacom Super Rugby match. The Vodacom Bulls lost 27-0 to the Crusaders in Timaru in 2011 and the DHL Stormers lost 22-0 to the Crusaders in Cape Town in 2008.
Unfortunately Toyota Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss has been cited for alleged foul play during their match against the DHL Stormers.
Force 29 (15) Lions 19 (9):
The Lions put up a very brave fight in their final Vodacom Super Rugby tour match, but two late tries by the Force meant they lost this encounter by 29-19 in Perth on Saturday.
The visitors from Johannesburg refused to give up against the high-flying Force. Unfortunately their defence leaked tries at crucial stages of the match and it was a five-pointer in the 79th minute by the home team’s captain, Matt Hodgson, which sealed the win for them.
The Force, back in Perth after their South African tour, managed to find holes in the Lions’ defence when they needed to and they exploited this well.
The Lions were still in control shortly before the break at 9-3, but two quick tries by the Force meant they started the second half leading by 15-9.
A fourth Marnitz Boshoff penalty goal saw the gap close to 15-12 and with six minutes to go, the Lions were still in with a sniff, but they again conceded a try which gave the Force some breathing space.
Still the visitors refused to give up and the hit back almost immediately when Elton Jantjies went over for a converted try to make it 22-19, but then Hodgson got his second and it was all over for the men from Ellis Park.
Scorers:
Force – Tries: Matt Hodgson (2), Jayden Hayward, Chris Tuatara-Morrison. Conversions: Sias Ebersohn, Hayward (2). Penalty goal: Ebersohn.
Lions – Try: Elton Jantjies. Conversion: Jantjies. Penalty goals: Marnitz Boshoff (4).
