Konke kuvuna iLions ngesicoco
BANGENE nazo endizeni zilimele izidlakela zama-All Blacks abeqembu laseNew Zealand iCanterbury Crusaders ngethemba lokuthi kuzothi kushaya isikhathi somdlalo wamanqamu weVodacom Super Rugby ne-Emirates Airlines Lions ngoMgqibelo zibe seziluleme.
Ngemuva kokuhlula iWaikato Chiefs kowandulela owamanqamu ngoMgqibelo ekuseni, iCrusaders ingene endizeni isibhekise amabombo kuleli lapho izobhekana khona neLions equmbe phansi ompetha bangonyaka odlule iHurricanes ngo 44-29 e-Emirates Airlines Park, eGoli.
Ukaputeni weqembu lesizwe laseNew Zealand, uKieran Read, ushayeke kanzima edolweni okuphoqe ukuthi angabe esawuqeda umdlalo wabo neChiefs abawunqobe ngo 27-13. No-Owen Franks ongelinye lamathemba ama-All Blacks ukhona eqenjini eliza kuleli kodwa naye akazange awuqede oweChiefs ngenxa yakho belu ukulimala.
Yize kunjalo kodwa konke kuvuna ezikaJohan Ackermann oselisondezile iphupho lakhe lokushiya amaLions engompetha. Iqembu lakhe libuye seliyoshona lakhombisa izimpawu zokukhula okwenza libe nethuba elihle lokuguqisa leli qembu laseNew Zealand eseliwudle amahlandla ayisikhombisa umqhudelwano weSuper Rugby.
ILions inqoba nje ike yalandela emuva ngo 22-3. Lokhu kumjabulise kakhulu u-Ackermann kwazise iqembu lakhe linethuba lokusula izinyemebezi zangesizini edlule lapho lishaywe khona yiHurricanes.
Kuzobe kungokwesine owamanqamu weSuper Rugby udlalelwa eNingizimu Afrika kusukela ngo-1996 kanti kuzoba yisipho esikahle kulo mqeqeshi oya e-England ngemuva kweSuper Rugby.
“Lokhu yikhona kanye ebengihlale ngiphupha ngakho. Bengifisa ukuqedela phambi kwabalandeli bethu njengoba kuzokwenzeka kowamanqamu. Uma sinqobile njengoba sifisa ngizoshiya iqembu engilizwa ngaphakathi ngijabule enhliziyweni yami,” kusho u-Ackermann.
Okufanele ukuthi kwehle kahle kubalandeli beLions indlela u-Elton Jantjies adlale ngayo ngemuva kokugxekwa okukhulu akuthole ngodaka alushaye bedlula ngembobo yenaliti kuCell C Sharks kuma-quarter final.