Www.iol.co.za

It was always going to be crucial to get off to a winning start and the Lions did that, but only just. Their trip to Bloemfontein to take on the new Currie Cup champions, under the guidance of Franco Smith, was always going to be a big ask. The Lions struggled and looked to be heading for a defeat until Rohan Janse van Rensburg, who was fabulous in the early rounds, scored a match-winning try four minutes from time. Over the course of the season the Lions and Sharks would end up meeting three times and while their third match was the most dramatic of all, the first clash at Ellis Park was also a big one for The match between the two form teams, the Lions and Stormers, on April 15 in Cape Town had every rugby fan in South Africa glued to their screens. The Lions were unbeaten and the the home outift. In a ding-dong battle, where no team really got the better of the other and where Curwin Bosch put on a quality kicking display, the Lions scored a 76th minute try by Jaco Kriel to stay unbeaten. It was a massive victory. Stormers were coming off a 34-26 win against the Chiefs the week before. The Lions bossed the game, scored four tries to the home team’s one and showed South Africa they were still the best Super Rugby outfit in the country.