Another first for the Lions

The Lions secured their seventh win with a first ever victory in Vodacom Super Rugby over their near neighbours Vodacom Bulls.
The Lions took on one of the top teams in the South African and overall log leading Vodacom Bulls and recorded a surprise win when they beat them with a handsome 32-21 in front of their home crowd at Ellis Park on Saturday May 31.
In another encounter and South African derby DHL Stormers won their first away game of the season when they beat the Cell C Sharks in Durban.
On a weekend where the Vodacom Bulls had a superb opportunity to move into the top six, following defeats by the Highlanders, Hurricanes and Chiefs, the men from Pretoria lost for the first time to the spirited Lions at Ellis Park.
The home team deserve a lot of credit for the way in which they never gave up despite being on the back foot from time to time. The visitors let themselves down with bad execution, but that does not take anything away from the Lions’ victory.
Shortly after the Lions’ stunning victory, the Cell C Sharks lost their second home game of the season but clung onto the top spot on the log when Jaco Taute slotted an injury-time drop-goal to see the DHL Stormers through by 21-19.
It was the first and only time during the match that the team from Cape Town took the lead for probably their best win of the season.
Vodacom Super Rugby resumes for the five South African franchises in the first weekend of July. All of them have completed 14 matches and have two left before the playoffs start. The Toyota Cheetahs had a bye this week.
Lions 32 (9) Vodacom Bulls 21 (6)
Vodacom Bulls all but threw away their chances of reaching the Vodacom Super Rugby playoffs when they were beaten for the first time ever by a spirited Lions side.
“We created chances, but did not execute them properly,” said Head coach Frans Ludeke of Vodacom Bulls, “We did not play well at all. At this stage we will have to sit back and watch what the other teams will do on the overall conference and I feel that we still have an outside chance.”
In the meantime, Head coach of the Lions, Johan Ackermann was very happy with the way his team performed. “We have grown as a team when we went on tour and the team is really performing very good. We still have two vital matches left in front of our home crowd and this will bring the spectators back to support us.” The Johannesburg outfit will have some ten days rest before returning to prepare for their last Vodacom Super Rugby matches.
The home team, back from a tough tour Down Under, didn’t look like they had just returned from a month on the road. On the contrary, the visitors from Pretoria looked flat for most of the match and if it wasn’t for two late tries by William Small-Smith and Jacques du Plessis, the scoreline would’ve been much worse.
Sharp-shooter Marnitz Boshoff contributed 22 of the Lions’ points, while their tries were scored by Alwyn Hollenbach and Warwick Tecklenburg.
The match was played at pace and it was a typically hard local derby, with not a lot of flashy stuff around at Ellis Park. Not that it mattered for the Lions, as they added the Vodacom Bulls’ scalp to their selection, like they did with the DHL Stormers earlier this season.
The Vodacom Bulls’ handling was nothing but shocking, especially when they got close or were strong on the attack. Their discipline also let them down big time.
And where the visitors’ pack was not at their best, the Lions forwards didn’t shy away, despite struggling at line-out time. They worked harder and kept Vodacom Bulls under pressure from the word go.
Scorers:
Lions – Tries: Alwyn Hollenbach, Warwick Tecklenburg. Conversions: Marnitz Boshoff (2). Penalty goals: Boshoff (4). Drop-goals: Boshoff (2).
Vodacom BullsTries: William Small-Smith, Jacques du Plessis. Conversion: Jacques-Louis Potgieter. Penalty goals: Potgieter (3).
Other results – Round 16:
Crusaders 30 Force 7 (Christchurch)
Reds 38 Highlanders 31 (Brisbane)
Chiefs 17 Waratahs 33 (New Plymouth)
Blues 37 Hurricanes 24 (Auckland)
Brumbies 37 Rebels 10 (Canberra)