The Vodacom Bulls XV delivered a strong second-half performance to break the Lions XV's hearts in the final of the inaugural SA Rugby U23 Cup, with the team from Pretoria taking the title courtesy of a 33-32 victory at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Friday afternoon.
The first half belonged to the hosts, but the visitors fought back strongly after the break with three tries to on in the second half, and despite being reduced to 13 players for the last five minutes, the Bulls did enough to hand the Lions their first defeat of the competition.
In the first half, the Lions XV capitalised on the Vodacom Bulls XV's mistakes and set-piece struggles, which gave the hosts momentum and most of the early possession.
Marco Ferreira opened the scoring with a 13th-minute try, with Matt Coetzee's conversion handing the Lions a 7-0 lead. That changed to 14-0 just short of the half-hour mark when Jason Hugo went over for a converted try in the corner after the hosts showed great patience on attack.
However, the Bulls hit back with two tries in quick succession when Henry Immelman crashed over from a quick-tap penalty before Ruan Enslin scored a converted try when they exploited space on the right to make it 14-12 with five minutes left in the half.
Likhona Finca had the final say in the first half, though, when he beat a few defenders to score the Lions' third try, which handed them a well-deserved 21-12 lead at the break.
Coetzee extended the Lions' lead with a penalty goal in the 47th minute, but the Bulls' bench then exploded into action as they hit back with three tries to take the lead.
Replacement props Alulutho Tsakweni and Khutha Mchunu both crashed over from short range, while Brooklyn Newman, the Bulls' reserve scrumhalf, finished a good move in the corner.
Keegan Johannes converted all three tries, while Coetzee kept his perfect kicking record intact with a second penalty goal. With 10 minutes to go, it was a six-point game, with the visitors leading by 33-27.
Two late yellow cards for cynical infringements put the Bulls under pressure deep inside their own half, and Gilermo Mentoe struck for the Lions, scoring in the corner after a strong maul on the other side of the field. Coetzee failed to convert - his first miss of the day - and the Bulls managed to run down the last minute on the clock for the historic victory.
Scorers:
Lions XV 32 (21) - Tries: Marco Ferreira, Jason Hugo, Likhona Finca, Gilermo Mentoe. Conversions: Matt Coetzee (3). Penalty goals: Coetzee (2).
Vodacom Bulls XV 33 (12) - Tries: Henry Immelman, Ruan Enslin, Alulutho Tsakweni, Brooklyn Newman, Khutha Mchunu. Conversions: Keagan Johannes (4).