Lions give themselves a chance
at Ellis Park THERE was something wonderfully full-throttle and wholehearted about this Super Rugby match.
Once the dust settled and the heart rate was restored to normal the Lions had given themselves a slim chance of making the play-offs.
It was the Lions’ maiden win over the Tahs as a standalone franchise. Their previous success was recorded in the guise of the Cats in 2001.
This game was played at breakneck speed with both sides committed to stretching the other. Opponent’s mindset, the conditions and their insecure positions on the log dictated this approach.
The Lions needed to win to stay in touch of the top six and give themselves a chance of sneaking ahead of the Stormers at the top of the conference when they clash at Newlands next weekend.
The Waratahs, who made a laboured start in defence of their trophy, played themselves back into contention by winning five of their last six matches before arriving here. They needed to win last night to topple the Brumbies from the top of the Australian conference.
Both teams eschewed the op- SMOOTH OPERATOR: Elton Jantjies in action against the Waratahs last night portunity to kick for posts in the first half, a ploy with which the Waratahs were forced to persist when they chased the game in the second half. The Lions, though, were unrelenting in trying to speed things up.
Their desperation for a fourtry bonus point meant the corner flag was difficult to resist when they got a kickable penalty in the sixth minute. From the resultant lineout drive they hit to the right before Elton Jantjies’ perfectly weighted pass tantalisingly escaped Israel Folau but not Ruan Combrinck. He easily rounded the fullback and Jantjies executed the conversion with equal precision.
Until he missed three penalties in the second half Jantjies seemed to have the ball on a string. His offloads invariably put support runners into space.
He had many willing and able recipients. Combrinck and Lionel Mapoe made gains outside him, while Jaco Kriel continues to be one of the country’s most electrifying flankers. How the Boks could do with his speed and industry in the Rugby Championships.
But while the Lions can go toe-to-toe with most teams in a quick-tempo game at Ellis Park, the question they needed to answer last night was whether they have the game manage- ment and discipline to get the job done against a crafty and devilishly resourceful side. Too often in the past they have surrendered positions of promise when they yielded to instinct while cool heads were needed.
Last night they struck the right balance — but amid the frenzy their gain-line busters were at times guilty of tunnel vision by not making a more concerted effort to offload. That they were able to make those gains in the first place, however, was down to the template provided by their tight forwards.
The Lions stole the march on the Waratahs’ scrum in the opening half. Loosehead Schalk (Hond) van der Merwe, who will join Jake White’s Montpellier later this year, and tighthead Julian Redelinhuys fully came to grips with their more internationally acclaimed opponents, Sekope Kepu and Benn Robinson. The Lions’ first try was built on their toil after they helped secure a scrum penalty.
Elsewhere in the tight five Franco Mostert again cut a towering figure. He was long of stride and breath in another selfless display. His efforts this season perhaps embody those of the collective and it is fitting they live to fight another day.