Lions prevail over Sharks in try fest
Winning penalty kicked only after the hooter had gone
Lions — Tries: Ngia Selengbe, Tiaan Swanepoel, Vincent Tshituka, Courtnal Skosan, Jan-Henning Campher, Wandisile Simelane; Conversion: Tiaan Swanepoel (2), Elton Jantjies (3) Penalty: Swanepoel Sharks — Tries: Aphelele Fassi, Werner Kok, Dylan Richardson (2), Ntuthuko Mchunu (2) Conversion: Boeta Chamberlain (3), Curwin Bosch (2)
● The Lions did enough to squeeze a good outcome from this see-saw match against the Sharks that was decided only after the hooter.
The match that produced 12 tries appeared destined for a draw but Tiaan Swanepoel put away a late penalty to win it for the Lions in this Preparation Series match at Ellis Park.
Most of the match was strewn with elementary mistakes as coaches tried various combinations and gave opportunities to returning players.
This competition is to get the teams into shape for the Rainbow Cup expected to start next month with European teams but players are getting the much-needed game time that is going to be beneficial in the coming months.
At some stages teams have lacked stability at scrum time and they have conceded too many penalties but the Sharks gave the Lions a run for their money as the encounter turned out to be a try fest.
The first try was registered by the home side when Ngia Selengbe touched down following a powerful scrimmage after four minutes but their lead was shortlived as the Sharks went ahead with Aphelele Fassi’s converted try.
The Lions retook the lead after 15 minutes through Swanepoel, who also stood up to convert his own try and they pulled further ahead five minutes later when Vincent Tshituka registered their third of the afternoon.
After 23 minutes the Sharks reduced the deficit when former Springbok sevens star Werner Kok used his pace to good effect to touch down in the corner after the Lions defence was caught flatfooted.
The Lions continued to dominate proceedings and they were rewarded with their fourth try of the match that was registered by Courtnal Skosan after the half hour and was converted by Jantjies.
The first half also saw a good performance by the kickers with Swanepoel finding the middle of the posts to convert his own try and Jantjies nailing the two that followed from Tshituka and Skosan.
It was the same for Sharks kicker Boeta Chamberlain who successfully converted the team’s two first-half tries as they chased the game.
After the break the Sharks returned with more purpose in their work and it came as no surprise when they were rewarded with their third try of the afternoon from Dylan Richardson to narrow the gap to five points.
A few minutes later the Lions again pulled away when Jan-Henning Campher scored their fifth of the afternoon with Swanepoel having the easy task of nailing the conversion.
Tries continued to rain at Ellis Park as Richardson registered his second of the afternoon which was easily converted by substitute kicker Curwin Bosch.
The Lions responded with a try of their own from Wandisile Simelane that was converted by Jantjies just after the hour mark as they began to take control of the match.
But Ntuthuko Mchunu scored two quick tries that were converted by Bosch to level the match and Simelane could have won the match at the death but he fell short of the try line with cramps.
The drama was not over as Swanepoel put away the late penalty after the hooter had gone to finally settle this encounter.