Pumas fail to match Currie Cup champs Lions in a 14-try festival
IN wildlife terms, Lions and Pumas are supposed to be equally matched cats who prosper in their different habitats.
With their handsome win, the Golden Lions proved they are the superior felines on the Highveld with an efficient performance.
It was the best way to start their Currie Cup premier division title defence after last week’s game against the Griquas was postponed due to the Super Rugby final.
The Pumas were also full value for their four tries, but the Lions were not tested on a sunny and warm afternoon. Their five first-half tries were also something to behold even though they added a further five in the second 40.
The best of the lot was Sylvian Mahuza’s 38th-minute touchdown that started behind their own tryline after the Pumas had coughed the ball up in search of their third try.
Harold Mnisi made the initial incision before offloading to the effervescent hooker Akker van der Merwe on the 22m.
Van der Merwe made his metres before passing to the fleet-footed Mahuza, who showed a clean pair of heels in the last 40 metres.
The Lions also made an early statement from kickoff when lock Lourens Erasmus took advantage of indecision among the Pumas forwards to collect Jaco van der Walt’s kick and saunter in untouched.
Erasmus’ try could well be one of the fastest scored in the tourna- ment’s history as 10 seconds had not even ticked over when he crossed the line.
Such was the Lions’ dominance, they were able to get through part of the first stanza with only 12 players when Van der Merwe and prop Jacques van Rooyen were sin-binned in the 10th and 11th minutes respectively. Through tries from Marlou van Niekerk and Khwezi Mona, the Pumas did their bit to add to an entertaining first half.
The one-way traffic continued in the second stanza when the hosts added further tries through Van der Merwe, Mnisi, Koch Marx, Marnitz Boshoff and Anthony Volmink.
It was a case of Johan Ackermann’s side flexing their considerable muscles even though they lost some of their first-half fluency because of the raft of substitutions.
What they did show is that they are not going to miss their Springbok contingent, but how really good they are will be seen when they face the Blue Bulls, Western Province and the improving Sharks.
The Toyota Free State Cheetahs beat the Blue Bulls 43-20 in Bloemfontein yesterday.