The Emirates Lions hosted a Springbok laden Cell C Sharks team in Johannesburg for week 5 of the URC. The match was a close-fought and even encounter in all aspects. The lead on the scoreboard kept on changing hands until the second half when the Cell C Sharks managed to just stay in the lead beating the Emirates Lions 47-37.
The first half was an even battle amongst the forwards and both teams sharing territory. Both teams opted to play running rugby using the speed in their backlines to beat the defence out wide. Both teams also effectively used chip kicks to beat the backline defence which resulted in scoring opportunities. The lead on the scoreboard kept on changing hands with the Sharks gaining a 27-18 lead by the end of the half.
The second half continued to be an even affair in terms of territory and possession. The Sharks managed to build up a 12 point lead at the beginning of the second half but the Lions managed to reduce the deficit to 3 points with 11 minutes left on the clock. The Sharks however managed to maintain the lead until the end of the match.
04:03 Penalty awarded against the Lions for a player not rolling away in the tackle. Successfully kicked by Boeta Chamberlain (3-0).
06:50 Lions open their scoring tally with a try by Andre Warner after collecting a loose ball. Converted by Fred Zeilinga (3-7).
09:35: Lions scored their second try after a Wandisile Simelane chipped ahead a loose ball and scored close to the corner. The conversion was unsuccessful (3-12).
14:47 Aphelele Fassi opened the Shark's scoring tally after scoring a try from a backline movement after a strong scrum by the Sharks. Converted by Boeta Chamberlain (10-12).
18:38 Makazole Mapimpi scored the Sharks' second try after collecting a ball that was chipped ahead from a backline move. The conversion was unsuccessful (15-12).
20:00 The first 20 minutes saw an even battle amongst the forwards and both teams sharing territory. Both teams tried running the ball wide and used chip kicks to beat each other's defensive lines which resulted in scoring opportunities.
23:45 Penalty awarded against the Sharks in their half. Successfully kicked by Fred Zeilinga (15-15).
27:30 Penalty awarded against the Sharks in their quarter for offside play. Successfully kicked by Fred Zeilinga (15-18).
31:53 Kerron van Vuuren of the Sharks scored a try after a driving maul from a lineout penalty. The conversion was unsuccessful (20-18).
38:10 Makazole Mapimpi scored his second try after the ball was quickly played wide to him from broken play. Converted by Boeta Chamberlain (27-18).
40:00 Both teams continued to play running rugby using the speed in their backlines to try and beat the defence out wide. Both teams also tried to used driving mauls from penalty lineouts but only the Sharks managed to score from one of these opportunities.
42:25 Penalty awarded against the Lions in their half. Successfully kicked by Boeta Chamberlain (30-18).
50:27 Lions lock Ruben Schoeman scored a try close to the posts after a driving maul. Successfully converted by Fred Zeilinga (30-25).
53:18 Makazole Mapimpi scored his third try after collecting a loose ball in the Lions' quarter. Converted by Boeta Chamberlain (37-25).
55:41 Penalty awarded against the Lions just inside their half. Successfully kicked by Joaquin Bonilla (40-25).
59:33 Lions winger Edwill van der Merwe scored a try right in the corner after the ball was quickly played wide from a ruck. The conversion was unsuccessful (40-30).
60:00 The match remained an even affair however the Lions managed to reduce the scoreboard deficit with the Sharks managing to stay in the lead. Both teams elected to use their forwards more with driving play and mauls.
68:28 Lions replacement scrum-half Morne van den Berg scored a try after nipping over the try line from a ruck. Converted by Tiaan Swanepoel (40-37).
79:10 Lukhanyo Am scored the final try for the Sharks in the corner. Converted by Joaquin Bonilla (47-37).
Scorers:
Emirates Lions: Tries: Andre Warner, Wandisile Simelane, Ruben Schoeman, Edwill van der Merwe, Morne van den Berg. Conversions: Fred Zeilinga (2), Tiaan Swanepoel. Penalties: Fred Zeilinga (2)
Cell C Sharks: Tries: Aphelele Fassi, Makazole Mapimpi (3), Kerron van Vuuren, Lukhanyo Am. Conversions: Boeta Chamberlain (3), Joaquin Bonilla. Penalties: Boeta Chamberlain (2), Joaquin Bonilla.
Teams:
Emirates Lions: 15. EW Viljoen 14. Edwill van der Merwe 13. Wandisile Simelane 12. Burger Odendaal 11. Sibahle Maxwane 10. Fred Zeilinga 9. Andre Warner 8. Francke Horn 7. Ruhan Straeuli 6. Jaco Kriel 5. Pieter Jansen van Vuren 4. Ruben Schoeman 3. Carlu Sadie 2. Jaco Visagie 1. Sti Sithole. Replacements: 16. PJ Botha 17. Morgan Naude 18. Ruan Dreyer 19. Willem Alberts 20. Emmanuel Tshituka 21. Morne van den Berg 22. Matt More 23. Tiaan Swanepoel.
Cell C Sharks: 15. Aphelele Fassi, 14. Sibusiso Nkosi, 13. Lukhanyo Am (captain), 12. Ben Tapuai, 11. Makazole Mapimpi, 10. Boeta Chamberlain. 9. Grant Williams, 8. Phendulani Buthelezi, 7. Jeandré Labuschagne, 6. James Venter, 5. Hyron Andrews, 4. Ruben van Heerden, 3. Thomas du Toit, 2. Kerron van Vuuren, 1. Retshegofaditswe Nche. Replacements: 16. Fezokuhle Mbatha, 17. Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18. Khutha Mchunu, 19. Reniel Hugo, 20. Henco Venter, 21. Jaden Hendrikse, 22. Joaquin Bonilla, 23. Jeremy Ward.
Article by Francois du Toit