Photo Credit: Speedshots.co.za
Emirates Lions hosted the log leaders Vodacom Bulls in their derby at Emirates Airline Park but failed to cause a surprise. The Bulls had to work extremely hard for their 30-25 win but deserved the victory without a doubt.
In an evenly balanced match, the Bulls' bench was the difference in the game. The Lions dominated the scrums until the replacements came on, thereafter, the Bulls took control and won several penalties come scrum time.
The Lions was first on the scoreboard after a penalty was converted by Elton Jantjies, with only three minutes of the first half that passed.
The Bulls answered with a converted penalty of their own to level the score after six minutes.
The Bulls camped for 6 minutes in the Lions' red zone before a maul from a lineout ended in a try by hooker Joe van Zyl. With 26 minutes left of the first half, the Bulls were in the lead with 10-3.
The Bulls "dominated" in the first 20 minutes mainly due to the educated boot of Morne Steyn. The Lions domination in the scrums at that stage spelt danger later in the second half.
A try by Burger Odendaal after a period of constant pressure by the Lions narrowed the gap to two points with the Bulls still in the lead with 15 minutes left to go in the 1st half.
The momentum has swung in favour of the Lions during the last 20 minutes of the first half, with the try by Morné van den Berg just reward to give the Lions a 15-10 lead at the end of the first half.
Steyn got the scoreboard rolling with a penalty after just three minutes into the second half.
As in the opening first 20 minutes of the first half, the Bulls set up camp in the Lions 22. Stedman Gans scored the Bulls second try of the match and regained the lead with 20-15 and 30 minutes to go.
The Lions were guilty at that stage of soft penalties which allowed the Bulls to dominated territorially.
The third penalty By Steyn stretched the Bulls lead to 23-15 with 22 minutes to go.
A brilliant individual try by Wandisile Simelane reduced the lead of the Bulls to one point (23-22) only. The momentum at stage definitely with the Bulls but it was still anybody's game.
Kurt-Lee Arendse scored the Bulls third try and again stretched the Bulls lead to eight points with nine minutes to go.
A penalty by Elton Janyjies after the siren gave the Lions a bonus point for losing with less than seven points.
The Bulls travelled back to Pretoria with a determined win with 30-25 against a gutsy Lions that were in the game for the full eighty minutes.
Scorers:
Emirates Lions: Tries: Burger Odendaal, Wandisile Simelane. Conversion: Elton Jantjies . Penalty: Elton Jantjies
Vodacom Bulls: Tries: Joe v Zyl, Stedman Gans, Kurt-Lee Arendse. Conversions: Morne Steyn (3). Penalties: Morne Steyn (3)
Emirates Lions: 15 Gianni Lombard; 14 Stean Pienaar, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Courtnall Skosan; 10 Elton Jantjies (captain), 9 Morné van den Berg; 8 Len Massyn, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 MJ Pelser, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Carlu Sadie, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Sti Sithole. Replacements: 16 PJ Botha, 17 Nathan McBeth, 18 Ruan Dreyer, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Marnus Schoeman, 21 Ross Cronjé, 22 Dan Kriel, 23 Tiaan Swanepoel.
Vodacom Bulls: 15 David Kriel, 14 Travis Ismaiel, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Cornal Hendricks, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Duane Vermeulen (captain), 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Walt Steenkamp, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Jo van Zyl, 1 Jacques van Rooyen. Replacements: 16 Els, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Marcel van der Merwe, 19 Sintu Manjezi, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Chris Smith, 23 Marco Jansen van Vuren.