Ken Borland

There was not much adventurous rugby on display at a damp Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday as the Bulls edged out the Lions 22-15 in their Currie Cup match to ensure they will finish top of the log.

The Bulls scored the only try of the game, soon after halftime, but otherwise relied on four penalties by flyhalf Chris Smith for the win.

Those four penalties came after a torrid start by the Bulls, who struggled to find their rhythm having not played for three weeks. They struggled in particular at the scrums and fullback Tiaan Swanepoel kicked three penalties to give the Lions a 9-0 lead after 18 minutes.

But, incredibly, the Bulls went into halftime 12-9 ahead as their scrum shifted the momentum and began to dominate, with Smith kicking penalties in the 22^nd, 25^th, 35^th and 40^th minutes. Three of those penalties had their genesis at the scrum, although one of them was a harsh call against a dominant Lions set-piece.

The Bulls then took control of the game after 46 minutes thanks to scrumhalf Embrose Papier’s try. In a clinical start to the second half, the Bulls won a kicking battle and a lineout just outside the Lions’ 22 as Swanepoel blinked first and made a mistake. The Lions then infringed at the rolling maul, allowing the Bulls to set a lineout deep inside the 22.

The Lions almost stole the throw but knocked on, and Bulls eigthman Duane Vermeulen burst from the dominant scrum and popped a pass to Papier, who fought his way over the line for a fine finish. Smith’s conversion put the Bulls 19-9 up.

Swanepoel was able to give the Lions a sniff of a comeback with penalties in the 60^th and 65^th minutes to bring the score back to 15-19. But the Bulls were able to counter the Lions’ maul through means fair and foul, and it was ironic that referee Cwengile Jadezweni would give Lions replacement prop Ruan Dreyer a yellow card for collapsing a drive in the 77^th minute. Morne Steyn kicked the penalty to give the Bulls a 22-15 lead.

The Lions finished the match desperately trying to salvage a draw with several penalties and rolling mauls. Bulls flank Marco van Staden was eventually yellow-carded for collapsing the drive, but the Lions lost the ball shortly thereafter and failed to secure themselves a home semi-final.

Scorers

Bulls: Try – Embrose Papier. Conversion – Chris Smith. Penalties –Smith (4), Morne Steyn.

Lions: Penalties – Tiaan Swanepoel (5).