Lions fullback Quan Horn tries to hand-off big Bulls No 8 Mpilo Gumede at Midstream College in Olifantsfontein on Friday. Photo: BackpagePix
The Golden Lions showed that they will mean business this season after their full-strength side overpowered the Blue Bulls 57-33 at Midstream College in Olifantsfontein on Friday evening to move to the top of the Currie Cup log.
It was rather appropriate that the match was played at a school as the Lions and Bulls put up a festival-style feast of attacking rugby, scoring 13 tries in total to entertain the excited crowd as the visitors moved up to 38 points on the standings, one ahead of the Bulls.
After the Lions opted to select players who are their mainstays in the United Rugby Championship, it was a question about whether they would click in what is effectively their first pre-season match, or whether the Bulls’ continuity from their Currie Cup side would reign supreme.
What a day for the Fidelity ADT Lions Family! Victories all around! 🦁💪#LionsPride 🦁 pic.twitter.com/2ZDfp1YeNI
— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) August 30, 2024
But it was clear from the outside that the Johannesburg outfit would be far superior in physicality, intensity, pace, power and cohesion as they steam-rolled the men from Pretoria.
The Bulls were disrupted before the game as captain Nizaam Carr withdrew with an illness, and his replacement at openside flank, Cyle Brink, proceeded to drop the opening kickoff.
The Lions nearly scored from the same move, with wing Rabz Maxwane losing the ball 10 metres from the tryline.
But in the fourth minute, experienced centre Erich Cronjé opened the scoring for the Joburg side, handing off Bulls opposite number Cornel Smit after good work by No 8 Francke Horn and hooker PJ Botha.
The Bulls battled to find their rhythm with ball-in-hand, with a ruthless Lions defence forcing them into mistakes, while their lineout didn’t function smoothly either.
That allowed the Lions to operate with front-foot ball, and the likes of Springbok Quan Horn, Maxwane and captain Marius Louw regular breached the advantage line, while flyhalf Nico Steyn – who is normally a scrumhalf – varying his play smartly in the No 10 jersey to keep the defence guessing.
The forwards also got stuck in, and following a powerful maul, another Bok in flank Ruan Venter forced his way over.
The Lions raced into a 19-0 lead in the 22nd minute when hooker Botha was rewarded for his high work-rate by peeling off a maul to dot down.
Scrumhalf Bernard van der Linde was one of the few Bulls who tried to take the fight to the Lions, breaking the line a few times and earning good yards with a couple of tap penalties.
The Bulls eventually got onto the scoreboard through young flank Corné Beets’ 28th-minute touchdown, but the Lions hit back soon after that through Bok scrumhalf Morné van den Berg, following a line-break by Louw – who was the Player of the Match.
The Bulls would have felt that they were back in the game when they received a penalty try after Lions wing Tapiwa Mafura infringed in the tackle to prevent Canan Moodie’s offload to Van der Linde.
But Botha grabbed his second five-pointer from a maul to make the halftime score 33-14.
The Bulls got a great start to the second half when captain and hooker Joe van Zyl rumbled over, but the Lions continued to dominate in the second half, with tries by prop Morgan Naudé and replacement loose forward Renzo du Plessis ending the match as a contest.
Points-Scorers
Blue Bulls 33 – Tries: Corné Beets, Penalty Try, Joe van Zyl, Katlego Letebele, Juann Else. Conversions: Jaco van der Walt (1), Keagan Johannes (2).
Golden Lions 57 – Tries: Erich Cronjé, Ruan Venter, PJ Botha (2), Morné van den Berg, Morgan Naudé, Renzo du Plessis, Rabz Maxwane. Conversions: Nico Steyn (5), Sanele Nohamba (2). Drop goal: Steyn (1).