Lions knock Bulls off their perch in Jukskei derby
Comprehensive defeat sees home side lose log leadership
FOR the second time in as many visits, the Lions came away from Loftus with an impressive win over the Bulls yesterday.
The Lions had been without a win from two Currie Cup games and the Bulls were unbeaten after a draw with Western Province and a win over Griquas.
But the intense Jukskei derby rivalry was enough to inspire Johan Ackermann’s charges to an emphatic victory.
In the process the Bulls lost their spot at the top of log, conceding it to WP.
A close contest in the first half in which both sides scored two tries saw the Lions going into the half time break with a 20-16 lead.
It was the accurate boot of Lions flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff that proved to be the difference and gave the visitors a slight edge after Bulls goalkickers Tony Jantjies and Jurgen Visser missed three penalties between them.
Visser had two attempts going wide of the target, while Jantjies not only missed a conversion but also missed out on a chance to square up against his older brother Elton who started the game on the Lions bench before coming onto the pitch in the second half.
The younger Jantjies came off the field in the 26th minute after a knock.
Bulls wing Travis Ismaiel was the first to cross the try line when he went over for the opener after 12 minutes to give the home side an 8-3 lead.
It did not take long for the Lions to take the lead. After a driving maul, flanker Jaco Kriel dotted down for the visitors with Boshoff slotting the conversion to give the Lions a 10-8 lead in the 17th minute.
Fullback Jurgen Visser regained the lead for the Bulls five minutes later after initiating a well-worked attack from just inside the Lions half and finishing it off with an impressive try.
A try by wing Deon Helberg and the help of Boshoff’s boot took the Lions to a 20-16 lead at the break.
The Bulls showed fight early in the second half with a try by centre Francois Venter to regain the lead. It was the last time the Pretoria side led.
A yellow card for Bulls prop Morne Mellet saw the floodgates open for the Lions as they added an impressive three tries with the Bulls one man down.
Substitute Warwick Tecklenburg added salt to the Bulls’ wounds with a try that took the Lions over the 50-point mark with just 10 minutes of play remaining.
A gifted try to Elton Jantjies by Volmink was the last nail in the Bulls coffin, and the eighth try for the Lions in the match. Boshoff managed to convert all 10 of his kicks at goal. Western Province beat Griquas 20-19 in their Currie Cup match at GWK Park in Kimberley yesterday, reports Sapa .
Griquas last beat Province in 2009 and had to be content with a bonus point for losing within the seven-point margin.
Griquas applied good pressure early on, but the momentum shifted to Province when flanker and captain Deon Fourie broke away from a maul and ran 70m to score against the run of play.