The Fidelity ADT Lions dominated the Vodacom Bulls XV 42-19 in an emphatic win in the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division. Outclassing their cross Jukskei rivals by six tries to two, the high-flying Johannesburg outfit left the Pretoria visitors completely exposed defensively, with the Bulls still desperately hunting for their first victory of the campaign.
The hosts set a relentless tempo right from the kickoff. Following wave after wave of intense attacking pressure, Ruan Delport finally crashed over the whitewash to open the scoring. Flyhalf Sam Francis added the extra two points, giving the Lions an early 07-00 lead after just 10 minutes of play.
The Bulls' defensive struggles were quickly exploited again just six minutes later. Off the back of a powerful, well-executed lineout maul, Conraad van Vuuren barged over to score. Francis remained clinical with the boot, spliting the uprights to extend the advantage to 14-00.
The Lions' forward pack continued to bully the opposition up front. By the 30-minute mark, Morne Venter scored a near-identical third try off the back of another rampaging maul. Another successful conversion from Francis pushed the scoreline to 21-00.
With five minutes remaining in the first half, the Lions officially secured their four-try bonus point. Mahle Sithole was the beneficiary of yet another unstoppable rolling maul, and Francis maintained his perfect kicking record to send the teams into the sheds with the Lions commanding a 28-0 lead.
Any hopes of a second-half resurgence from the Bulls were immediately dashed after the restart. The Lions picked up right where they left off, punishing a dismal defensive effort from the visitors. Dylan Sjoblom brushed off soft shoulders in the mid-field, showcasing immense power to gallop his way over the try-line. Francis converted seamlessly once more, increasing the lead to a massive 35-00.
To their credit, the Bulls refused to completely capitulate. Beginning to win standard possession, they established a rare attacking platform inside the Lions' 22. Twelve minutes into the second half, Kebotile Maake crashed over from a close-range maul, with Keagan Johannes adding the extras to finally get the Bulls on the scoreboard at 35-07.
Momentum briefly swung toward the Pretoria outfit when Devon Williams produced a moment of magic. Williams sliced the Lions' defensive line completely to pieces, executing a brilliant individual run to score under the posts. Johannes converted quickly to cut the deficit to 35-14.
However, the Lions swiftly stopped the bleeding with a piece of sharp rugby intuition. Asad Moos caught the Bulls' defensive line sleeping, taking a quick tap from a penalty to crash over for the Lions’ sixth try of the evening. Matthew Coetzee stepped up to take over kicking duties, successfully adding the conversion to make it 42-14.
The Bulls struck back immediately with a late consolation prize when Riyaad Bam finished strongly in the corner. Though the conversion missed, it narrowed the final score slightly, leaving the Lions comfortably clear at 42-19, which was the final score.
Scorers:
Fidelity ADT Lions: Tries: Ruan Delport, Conraad van Vuuren, Morne Venter, Mahle Sithole, Dylan Sjoblom, Asad Moos. Conversions: Sam Francis (5), Matthew Coetzee.
Vodacom Bulls XV: Tries: Kebotile Maake, Devon Williams. Conversions: Keagan Johannes (2).
Teams:
Fidelity ADT Lions: 15 Gilermo Mentoe, 14 Keagan Smith, 13 Likhona Finca, 12 Rynhardt Jonker, 11 Rabz Maxwane, 10 Sam Francis, 9 Asad Moos, 8 Morne Venter, 7 Jarod Cairns, 6 Thando Biyela, 5 Ruan Delport (captain), 4 Dylan Sjoblom, 3 Conraad van Vuuren, 2 Mahle Sithole, 1 Morgan Naude. Replacements:16 Ruan Welman, 17 Cecil Parsons, 18 Ruan Swart, 19 Marco Ferreira, 20 Renzo du Plessis, 21 Zian Cilliers, 22 Matthew Coetzee, 23 Exauce Kevani.
Vodacom Bulls XV: 15 Devon Williams, 14 Riyaad Bam, 13 Hakeem Kunene, 12 Christiaan Viok, 11 Lindsey Jansen, 10 Keagan Johannes, 9 Hendre Schoeman, 8 Thomas Beling, 7 Heinrich Theron, 6 Kebotile Maake, 5 Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg (captain), 4 Sintu Manjezi, 3 Dian Coetzee, 2 Jaundre Schoeman, 1 Damian Baker. Replacements: 16 Siphosethu Mnebelele, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Jean Erasmus, 19 Johnathan Eloff, 20 Abongile Nonkontwana, 21 Cephas van Biljon, 22 Aka Boqwane, 23 Lavela Pongolo.