JOHANNESBURG – A magnificent first 10 minutes from the start of the second half in which the Lions scored a hat-trick of tries snuffed out any chance of a Cheetahs victory in their Carling Currie Cup match in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
As much as the Cheetahs tried to take back the initiative after that period, a rampaging Lions would not be denied. It did not start out that way, however, after a cagey first 20 minutes in which the Cheetahs’ Tian Schoeman and the monster boot of Frans Steyn slotted over three penalties to take their side into a 9-3 lead.
That lead quickly rolled away as the Lions took control of the proceedings. Jaco Visagie was the first player to cross the whitewash, but the Lions hooker’s try was denied as flanker Andisa Ntsila managed to get enough of his body under the ball to deny the try off a rolling maul.
No matter.
Two minutes later in the 27th minute, the Bone Collector, Willem Alberts – with Marvin Orie on his shoulder – went about his business of compiling a mounting body count, crashing over the tryline. Captain Elton Jantjies duly made the conversion, the Lions taking a 10-9 lead – a lead they would never surrender.
The encounter had now swung truly in the favour of the Joburgers, though by the end of the first half the scoreboard – 13-9 in their favour – didn’t adequately represent their dominance. By that time the Cheetahs had made 39 tackles to the Lions’ 14, had lost two scrums – one a crushing defeat up-front – and had faced growing pressure in the line-outs. It would become a characteristic of the game.
The second half started brilliantly for the Lions as from the kick off they took on the Cheetahs defence, Jaco Kriel doing what Jaco Kriel does best with a rampaging run down the touchline, dispatching a smart offload inside to scrumhalf Andre Warner who jogged in a beautiful try.
And Warner was in for his brace moments later as the Lions exhibited all their skills eviscerating the Cheetahs defence to take an impressive 25-9 lead. A brutal first 10 minutes in the second half was then completed, punctuated by silky skills that led to Jannie du Plessis bulldozing over the tryline.
Replacement Ruben de Haas pulled a try back for the Cheetahs, the Bloemfonteiners doing their level best to increase the tempo of the game to no avail. The Lions’ standout performer this season, Marvin Orie, then extended the dominance of the Lions with a well worked movement peeling off from the breakdowns to extend the lead to 39-16.
Hooker Marnus van der Merwe then kept the Cheetahs respectable on the scoreboard, the replacement scoring the final try of the match. In the final 15 minutes, the Lions weather a storm of Cheetahs’ pressure, ultimately denying the hosts another scoring opportunity – a couple near-misses for the Bloem team.
It was a near perfect display by the Lions, no doubt built on the confidence gleaned from their victory over the Western Province last weekend, and one that has firmly cemented their place, for now, in the final spot for the play-offs.
Scores
Free State Cheetahs (9) 23
Tries: De Haas, Van der Merwe; Conversion: Schoeman, Fortuin; Penalties: Schoeman (2), Steyn
Xerox Lions (10) 39
Tries: Alberts, Warner (2), Du Plessis, Orie; Conversion: Jantjies (4); Penalties: Jantjies (2)
IOL Sport