Lions maul Kings as Currie Cup race hots up
BOOSTED by a three-try blitz from skipper Kwagga Smith, the rampant Golden Lions mauled the struggling Eastern Province Kings 71-7 to keep their hopes of reaching the Currie Cup Premier Division semifinals alive.
After slumping to defeat in their previous match against the high-riding Free State Cheetahs, the Lions arrived in Port Elizabeth with their claws sharpened and hungry for points. Their try-scoring machine kicked into overdrive against the bottom-of-the-table Kings with 11 five pointers.
With a bottleneck developing at the top of the log for play-off berths, the Lions knew that only a bonus-point victory would be good enough to keep them in the race.
At half time, the Lions had already galloped into a 26-7 lead and the Kings must have already been fearing the worst in what has been a tough season for the men in red and black hoops.
Three defeats in their opening six matches made this game important for the defending champions and the Lions went about their business with clinical precision.
Right from the whistle, the Lions made their intentions clear as they gave the ball air and stretched the Kings defence with a series of penetrative forays.
The Kings kept the Lions caged until the 17th minute when powerful loose forward Ruan Ackermann crashed over for the visitors’ first try.
Quick thinking by skipper Ricky Schroeder saw the Kings back on level terms after he took a quick penalty which paved the way for Sampie Mastriet to dive over in the 21st minute.
The Lions were back in the lead after centre Howard Mnisi then waltzed his way through the Kings defence for the second try of the afternoon.
After putting up stiff resistance, the Kings were knocked back by quick tries from Koch Marx and captain Smith as the Lions took a firm grip on the game just before the half-time break. SCORERS Golden Lions: Tries — Ruan Ackermann, Howard Mnisi (2), Koch Marx, Kwagga Smith (3), Anthony Volmink, Jacques Nel (2), Sylvian Mahuza. Conversions — Jaco van der Walt (5), Andries Coetzee (3). Eastern Province Kings: Try — Sampie Mastriet. Conversion — Pieter-Steyn de Wet.