Ken Borland

The MTN Golden Lions overcame a messy first half to overwhelm the Valke 59-29 in their Vodacom Cup match at Wits University on Saturday.

The neighbouring teams were locked at 21-21 at halftime, the Lions having conceded two soft tries, but a jolly good shouting to at the break obviously did the trick as they attacked with verve and precision in the second half, providing good entertainment for the small crowd.

Centre Ruan Combrinck and wing Anthony Volmink both scored two tries for the Lions, who crossed the line nine times in total for their first win of the season.

Valke flyhalf Juan Kotze opened the scoring in the third minute with a penalty after the Lions were blown up for collapsing a scrum on their own ball, and the visitors also scored the first try of the match four minutes later.

The Lions lost the ball on attack in sloppy fashion and wing Kyle Hendricks pounced, outstripping the cover defence in superb fashion as he sped clear from 55 metres to score.

Kotze converted and the Valke were 10-0 up. The Lions finally made it into the opposition 22 after 15 minutes, but flank Jaco Kriel, one of the hardest-working players on the field, twice lost the ball close to the tryline. The Lions kept up the pressure, however, with the Valke eventually running out of numbers as flyhalf Andries Coetzee went over on the left-hand side.

Coetzee converted his own try to close the gap to three points, but the Valke scored again from the kickoff. They were fortunate as one of their passes went to ground, but Kotze kicked the ball through and was able to follow up and dot down, although he failed to kick the easy conversion (7-15).

The Lions scored again in the 29th minute when their rolling maul pushed the Valke back, lock Paul Willemse eventually barging his way over the line from close range. Coetzee converted and the Lions had closed to within a point.

Kriel’s powerful influence didn’t always bring reward for the Lions, as in the 31st minute when he stormed off a lineout inside his own 22 but his teammates then went off their feet at the ruck, presenting Kotze with a penalty (14-18).

The home side eventually went ahead in the 34th minute as fullback James Kamana inspired their third try with a mazy 60-metre run that put outside centre Combrinck into space for his first try.

Coetzee converted (21-18), but the Valke drew level in first-half injury-time as a great break by centre Coert Cronje earned Kotze another penalty.

The Lions were a changed side after the break, and the Valke were blown away by two tries in the first seven minutes.

The backline made sweeping attacks left and right, with Combrinck scoring his second try and the great hands of Kamana then putting wing Michael Killian away for the Lions’ fifth try, Coetzee’s excellent conversion stretching the lead to 33-21.

The Lions had some legal problems with the offside line in the 55th minute, giving Kotze another penalty (33-24), but their slick attacking systems produced a big overlap four minutes later, right wing Volmink throwing the dummy and stepping inside to score.

Stephan de Wit stretched over to score and seal the game for the Lions in the 66th minute, Coetzee converting to make the score 45-24, but there was some doubt as to whether the home side should have been given the try as the flank appeared to lose the ball as he dotted down. The try was awarded after the touch judge gave his recommendation to referee Ben Crouse.

Valke scrumhalf Jaco Snyman burst through a massive gap next to a ruck to score and give the visitors some cheer, but replacement prop Francois du Toit and Volmink crossed in the last six minutes to complete an emphatic victory for the Lions.

SCORERS:

MTN Golden Lions – Tries: Andries Coetzee, Paul Willemse, Ruan Combrinck (2), Michael Killian, Anthony Volmink (2), Stephan de Wit, Francois du Toit. Conversions: Coetzee (5), Marais Schmidt (2).

Valke – Tries: Kyle Hendricks, Juan Kotze, Jaco Snyman. Conversion: Kotze. Penalties: Kotze (4).

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/vodacom-cup/news/120317/Lions_overwhelm_Valke

Flyhalf JC Roos made the crucial kick in a match riddled with penalties as the Ford Pumas snatched a 19-19 (half-time 6-13) draw against the Blue Bulls in their Vodacom Cup match at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Saturday.

Both Roos and Bulls flyhalf Wesley Dunlop kicked four penalties in a match strictly policed by referee Marius van der Westhuizen, who took great delight in thwarting every one of the players’ tricks at ruck-time.

Roos succeeded with a 71st-minute penalty, after a ruck infringement by the Bulls, to draw the Pumas level, with both teams leaving Nelspruit with two points.

Both teams were content to keep the ball with their forwards for most of the match, not leaving the fans with much to cheer about.

Dunlop and Roos each kicked two first-half penalties before the Bulls grabbed the opening try after an impressive rolling maul and slick directing of the traffic by halfbacks Ruan Snyman and Dunlop allowed centre Ulrich Beyers to cross the line.

It was the Pumas supporters who were cheering in the second half, however, as flank Renaldo Bothma, showing pace and power, crashed over for an early try and Roos converted.

Dunlop and Roos then exchanged penalties until the end of the contest.

The fullbacks on either side – Jurgen Visser for the Bulls and Coenie van Wyk for the Pumas – were authoritative figures, but it was the forwards who dominated, the two packs leaving little leeway for expansive play.

Halfbacks Dunlop, Snyman and Roos used what little ball they received well, but both teams will be unhappy with their discipline at the breakdown.

SCORERS:

Ford Pumas – Try: Renaldo Bothma. Conversion: JC Roos. Penalties: Roos (4).

Vodacom Blue Bulls – Try: Ulrich Beyers. Conversion: Wesley Dunlop. Penalties: Dunlop (4).

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/vodacom-cup/news/120317/Pumas_hold_Bulls_to_a_draw

Flyhalf Morne Steyn became the third player to score 1000 SuperRugby points as he converted all six of the Northern Bulls’ tries and added three penalties in their impressive 51-19 hammering of the Central Cheetahs at Free State Stadium on Saturday.

Steyn joined Canterbury Crusaders star Dan Carter (1,272 points) and Australian Stirling Mortlock (1,031) as he became the first South African to reach 1000 points. He has now scored 1012 points in 91 games, all for the Bulls.

The Bulls played with 14 men from the 64th minute after Francois Hougaard, who had moved from scrumhalf to wing, was harshly red-carded by referee Craig Joubert for a tip-tackle, and finished the match with 13 men as flank Jacques Potgieter was yellow-carded for a shoulder-charge in the 78th minute.

But it was the Cheetahs who ended the match in a distraught state as, try as they might, they could not get through a fierce Bulls defensive line, led by their highly-physical but mobile tight five.

Props Dean Greyling and Werner Kruger, both capped for the Springboks last year, scored the first two Bulls tries from close range, the visitors’ potency on attack being largely due to their ability to secure quick ruck ball.

Cheetahs flyhalf Johan Goosen again kicked immaculately, succeeding with three penalties to keep the home side in touch heading towards half-time at 9-17 down.

But tremendously aggressive defence by the Bulls led to turnover ball, which Hougaard kicked deep into Cheetahs territory. Wing Akona Ndungane then managed to win possession, before the ball was spread wide for the other wing, Bjorn Basson, to beat a prop on the outside for another try.

The Bulls then scored on the half-time hooter to open up a commanding 31-12 lead. Centre Wynand Olivier’s lovely step inside created space on the outside for Ndungane, who burst clear before passing inside for fullback Zane Kirchner to score.

The Cheetahs dominated in the opening minutes of the second half, but incredible defence saw the Bulls resist 16 phases close to their own line, before Steyn landed his second and third penalties to stretch the lead to 37-12 after 58 minutes.

“We’re very disappointed, but credit to the Bulls, tactically they were better than us and credit to their defence. We were on their line for a while, but we couldn’t get through,” Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss said.

Hougaard was then red-carded, despite centre Robert Ebersohn twisting around in the tackle and deliberately going to ground head-first, and concerted pressure inside Bulls territory eventually saw hooker and captain Adriaan Strauss cross for the Cheetahs’ only try.

But the inspired Bulls remained in control and scored two more tries in the last 10 minutes, replacement centre JJ Engelbrecht pouncing on an intercept inside the Cheetahs 22 and Kirchner scoring a fine individual try.

“It’s easy to play well when 15 players are so willing to work hard for each other,” outstanding Bulls hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle said, before adding “Morne Steyn is a special athlete, well done to him.”

Twenty-year-old flyhalf Beauden Barrett kicked a 78th-minute penalty to give the Wellington Hurricanes a 30-28 (half-time 14-8) victory over the Gauteng Lions in their SuperRugby match at Ellis Park on Friday.

Barrett, who was man of the match in last weekend’s defeat by the Stormers, reaffirmed his reputation as a top-class prospect as he kicked three other penalties and also played a key role in the Hurricanes’ third and final try.

The 2011 IRB Junior World Championship winner put through a deft grubber, which wing Corey Jane ran on to, holding off opposite number Deon van Rensburg to score the try and complete a crucial two-try burst in three minutes midway through the second half for the visitors.

Centre Conrad Smith had moments earlier kicked through a dropped pass by the Lions and then rushed on to the bouncing ball and manufactured a brilliant crossfield kick-pass for hooker Dan Coles to complete the try.

“I do enjoy my soccer, so it was great to get a chance to show my skills. But really, it was more because I couldn’t see myself running another 30 metres with the ball and I heard someone shout outside me. I just didn’t realise it was the hooker,” Smith joked afterwards.

The two tries put the Hurricanes in firm control at 27-18 up but, after conceding a penalty to Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies, they then made a complete hash of defending a rolling maul, allowing the home side to storm back into their territory. From a ruck close to the tryline, the strength of replacement centre Butch James allowed him to barge over the line.

Jantjies converted to give the Lions a 28-27 lead, but with nine minutes still remaining, it was obvious the Hurricanes would fight hard to regain the lead.

The Lions were unfortunate to lose two props – JC Janse van Rensburg and CJ van der Linde – to injuries in the first half-hour, leading to uncontested scrums and the neutralisation of one of their main weapons. The Hurricanes were thus under no pressure at the set-piece and, having dominated the breakdowns, were able to rumble the ball upfield in the closing minutes, eventually catching the Lions backline offside and allowing Barrett his match-winning kick at goal.

“We were scrumming very well and it made the contest different – we couldn’t add pressure and take energy out of their legs through that route. But we should have finished the contest, we had the opportunity and we just weren’t very smart,” Lions coach John Mitchell told a news conference after the game.

The Lions had scored the opening try in the ninth minute when fullback Jaco Taute reached over in the left corner, after Hurricanes scrumhalf Chris Eaton had dropped the kick-off following Barrett’s opening penalty.

Barrett added two more penalties in the first half, before the Hurricanes went into the break 14-8 up after fullback Andre Taylor had squeezed over in the right corner, the visitors having stretched the Lions’ defences to the limit.

“I’m really pleased, we planned well and we have a very fit team. Playing on the highveld can eat away at you, but I knew the boys would last for the last 25 and they showed great composure too,” Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett said.