Ken Borland

Kwagga Smith on the charge again. Photo by Marcel Sigg, runridedive.com

An excellent second half by the Lions saw them seal an enthralling 44-26 win over the Waratahs in their SuperRugby semifinal at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The Lions had to overturn a 14-0 deficit inside the first eight minutes, which they did in thrilling fashion through brilliant tries by Kwagga Smith and Aphiwe Dyantyi.

But the Lions conceded a soft try from a simple front-of-the-lineout move by the Waratahs right on halftime, to set up an exciting second half with the scores locked at 19-19.

Having over-complicated matters by trying to do the miraculous before they had nailed down the basics, and by wasting penalties inside opposition territory, the message finally seemed to get through to the Lions that they were playing knockout rugby when flyhalf Elton Jantjies kicked a 55th-minute penalty from in front of the posts to give them a 22-19 lead.

From then on there was only one team in it as the dominant Lions forwards, led by the heroic Kwagga Smith, nailed down the victory and a trip to Christchurch for the final against the Crusaders, the reigning champions.

The Lions will get an icy welcome to the South Island and, given how invincible the Crusaders have been in playoff games at home – Saturday’s comfortable win over the Hurricanes was their 20th in a row – Swys de Bruin’s team will have to focus far better on defence, where they suffered some costly lapses at Ellis Park, and also fix a lineout that did not operate as smoothly as it should have.

The Waratahs held sway in the early exchanges and, although Lourens Erasmus, playing at flank, snaffled a couple of turnovers to end promising attacks, the Lions just could not contain the early width of the New South Wales game. They will also wish errors such as a missed lineout and a slipped tackle in midfield had been cut out of their game.

The opening try came from the sort of move they probably watched on video numerous times this week in their analysis of the Waratahs, flyhalf Bernard Foley launching a bomb into their 22, which Israel Folau won. The ball was immediately sent out wide right before going wide left almost as quickly, flank Ned Hanigan cantering over for the try.

Four minutes later, the Waratahs attack had the Lions at sixes and sevens down the left wing as Taqele Naiyaravoro stormed through tackles to get the visitors into the 22; lock Rob Simmons was stopped just short of the line, but fullback Folau was at hand to get the recycled ball and charge over for the second try.

The Lions finally got on the board in the 21st minute. An incredible piece of individual skill by wing Dyantyi saw him take a pass at the same time as he was swiveling out of a tackle; once in the Waratahs’ 22, flank Smith then showed just how explosive and strong he is with the ball as he powered over for an impressive try.

Dyantyi would go one better just five minutes later with a try that will go into Lions’ folklore. The new Springbok gathered the ball inside his own 22 as the Waratahs went the aerial route and immediately decided to counter. He went to the boot to get over the initial line of defence, regathered his own deft chip and then simply switched to another gear, showing amazing pace to pull away from the remaining defenders for a scintillating try.

Aphiwe Dyantyi dives over for his magnificent solo try. Photo by Marcel Sigg, runridedive.com

The Lions grabbed a 19-14 lead just before halftime with a thunderous rolling maul, hooker Malcolm Marx dotting down, but the Waratahs snuck over for an equalising try in the 40th minute. It felt like a sucker punch as a simple, but clever short lineout allowed prop Tom Robertson to go charging over.

Dyantyi unfortunately did not come out for the second half due to what coach De Bruin later described as a hamstring twinge, and firebrand loose forward Marnus Schoeman would prove a telling substitution for Erasmus.

It was his ferocious carry that led to Jantjies’ first penalty and Schoeman then produced another storming run two minutes later to carry the Lions into the Waratahs’ 22. The attack ended due to a lazy runner, with replacement hooker Damien Fitzpatrick yellow-carded for the offence in the red zone, the Lions setting another excellent lineout drive which resulted in Marx scoring again.

THE BIG HIT … Malcolm Marx puts down Israel Folau. Photo by Marcel Sigg, runridedive.com

At 19-27 down, the Waratahs were chasing the game thereafter; but Smith showed good toe after breaking loose on the 22 for another rousing try and, as the deficit reached critical mass at 34-19, the Australians desperately tried to get the ball wide as quickly as possible.

It all became a mess though as passes went behind the receiver, the move broke down and the Lions flooded the breakdown to win a penalty which Jantjies kicked from 52 metres out.

The Waratahs did manage to put together a decent attack with just four minutes remaining, Foley finding eighthman Michael Wells with a lovely pass, and once through the gap the former Brumbie linked up with replacement scrumhalf Jake Gordon for a consolation try (26-37).

Pegged back in their 22 from the restart, the Waratahs were then faced with an impregnable Lions defence, replacement scrumhalf Dillon Smit putting in a bone-rattling hit on Foley, the ball was turned over and Jantjies found Courtnall Skosan, Dyantyi’s replacement on the wing, with a pinpoint crosskick for the Lions’ sixth try.

The Crusaders scored four tries in beating the Hurricanes and these two great sides will enjoin in battle in a repeat of last year’s final, although this time it will be in Christchurch rather than Johannesburg.

Whatever anyone may say, there are still two inviolable truths that apply in rugby – travel is hard and territory is vital – as the Lions proved in their remarkable 44-29 win over the Hurricanes in their SuperRugby semifinal at Ellis Park on Saturday.

It was an incredible victory because the Lions were trailing 22-3 after half-an-hour. Whatever mistakes they made, under the immense pressure of a Hurricanes side that was in their faces, were punished by the visitors, whose every touch turned to gold.

But a try just before halftime, prop Jacques van Rooyen carrying a hapless defender with him as he barged powerfully over the line, gave the Lions hope and, more importantly, showed them how to play in the second half.

The try had come after a penalty was kicked to touch and a couple of lineout drives had the Hurricanes back-pedalling. It was noticeable that flyhalf Elton Jantjies was twice pushed back from over the line when he tried to go it alone, but give the ball to a big, strong forward to carry and it was a totally different story.

The Lions had tried to beat the Hurricanes at their own game in the first half, taking quick tap penalties and spreading the ball wide, and they were being destroyed.

But, to their immense credit, those plans changed in the second half.

There was a much greater emphasis on territory, with the big boots of wing Ruan Combrinck and fullback Andries Coetzee playing a key role, they drove from the lineout and used the set-pieces to get the Hurricanes on the back foot.

As the altitude and travel kicked in, the Hurricanes wilted and they barely fired a shot in the second half, all the momentum going the Lions’ way.

The Hurricanes are absolutely ruthless on turnover or openfield ball and, after Jantjies had kicked an early penalty set up by the forwards, the visitors quickly reminded the Lions of that fact.

A pass from Jantjies missed scrumhalf Ross Cronje on a wraparound move and Hurricanes halfback TJ Perenara twice kicked the ball through before winning the race for the touchdown.

But the Hurricanes are also extremely efficient at creating tries and a turnover from impressive eighthman Brad Shields enabled them to do just that in the 11th minute.

It was a disappointing defensive read from the Lions after the lineout, with too many defenders bunched in midfield, allowing flyhalf Beauden Barrett to come roaring through a big hole on the wraparound, and then freeing wing Wes Goosen on the outside for the try.

On the half-hour, there was a particularly poor moment of bad decision-making by the Lions as they were awarded a penalty inside their own half, but instead of kicking to the corner and squeezing the Hurricanes, they played into their hands by taking a quick tap and trying to run.

There was a hint of Cronje being played at the ruck as lock Sam Lousi knocked the ball out of his hands, but there was no doubt about flank Ardie Savea’s finishing ability as he pounced on the loose ball and roared away.

There was an early chance in the second half for the Lions to make amends, as they won a penalty. This time they set the lineout and then a midfield ruck, which created some space on the left. Cronje, who handled with aplomb the obvious pressure there was focused on him at the breakdowns, dived over from a ruck close to the tryline.

Jantjies, who put the disappointment of his poor goalkicking against the Sharks in last weekend’s quarterfinal behind him by nailing a solid six-from-eight against the Hurricanes, added the conversion and suddenly the Lions were just 17-22 behind and one could sense the momentum shift.

If there is one criticism of the Hurricanes side, it would be that they are not the most patient side and, with the Lions bossing territory through the boots of Combrinck and Coetzee, the frustrated visitors tried a dinky little chip kick from their own territory.

It was gathered by Combrinck, who burst into the Hurricanes’ 22 and forced a penalty for offsides. The Springboks are surely going to have to recall the powerful wing now that he is back to his best after injury.

The Lions once again set the lineout and hooker Malcolm Marx carried strongly to force his way over for the try, Jantjies’ conversion coming off the post to leave the scores level at 22-22.

But the kickoffs and exits are such vital parts of the game these days and, when the Lions dilly-dallied after receiving the kickoff, a well-timed counter-ruck by the Hurricanes turned over possession, which was then simply shipped down the backline until there were no more defenders left and outside centre Ngani Laumape was able to cross for the try.

Fullback Jordy Barrett converted, but they would be the last points the Hurricanes scored as the last 20 minutes were one big hiding for the defending champions.

Combrinck again broke clear but was tackled deep inside the Hurricanes’ 22, with flyhalf Beauden Barrett then playing the ball on the ground and being yellow-carded by referee Jaco Peyper. It was such a cynical foul in the red zone that there could be no buts about it, and Jantjies kicked the penalty to close the gap to 25-29.

The Lions then roared back on to attack; their efforts looked a little aimless at times, but at least they kept the ball alive and Cronje eventually found centre Harold Vorster coming through on a good line for the try that gave the Lions the lead for the first time since the fifth minute.

When flank Kwagga Smith misread a ruck for a collapsed maul and was penalised for hands-in, it meant Jordy Barrett would have his fifth and final shot at goal, but crucially he missed and the Lions’ momentum was not broken.

The Lions have one of the best scrums in the competition and they used it in the 73rd minute to destroy the Hurricanes set-piece and provide fantastic front-foot ball for the backs, which Jantjies used to go sniping over for another try, his conversion stretching the lead to 39-29.

It meant the Hurricanes would have to play from their own territory and a long pass from Perenara was duly intercepted by replacement hooker Akker van der Merwe, who was pleased to have Smith roaring up in support just as the attack seemed to be dying, the flank crossing for the final try.

This time there was no conversion from Jantjies, but there was no denying the Lions as they completed their remarkable triumph.

They showed once again that once the tide is with them, when they have the bit between their teeth, there is no stopping them.

Scorers

Lions: Tries – Jacques van Rooyen, Ross Cronje, Malcolm Marx, Harold Vorster, Elton Jantjies, Kwagga Smith. Conversions – Jantjies (4). Penalties – Jantjies (2).

Hurricanes: Tries – TJ Perenara. Wes Goosen, Ardie Savea, Ngani Laumape. Conversions – Jordy Barrett (3). Penalty – Barrett.

The Lions’ scrum was superlative against the Crusaders in their SuperRugby quarterfinal and I think it will be one of the key things they will use against the Highlanders in their semifinal this weekend.

They really put the Crusaders under pressure in the scrums and that’s against an All Blacks tight five, so that’s very encouraging for the Lions’ championship hopes.

Their scrum is a destructive weapon and it will be one of the keys against the Highlanders, as well as mauling well.

The Highlanders don’t have the same quality forwards as the Crusaders do, but they do have explosive backs and if the Lions don’t kick for distance then there will be problems for them, they will find themselves under a lot of pressure around their own 22.

Ben Smith is so good at counter-attacking, he’s the best in the world at it for me, ahead of Israel Folau. He will run the ball back and he has a tremendous ability to step, find gaps and beat people.

The one negative about the Lions team is the distance they get on their relieving kicks and that’s at altitude, they might have to take that to sea level if the final is in Wellington. You compare their kicking against the Crusaders to the quality of Beauden Barrett’s tactical kicking in a gale in Wellington and you can see that will be a concern in an away final. Every South African will be praying the Chiefs win that semifinal against the Hurricanes.

The Highlanders are a very different New Zealand team in that they have a very strong kicking game thanks to Lima Sopoaga and Aaron Smith.

Sopoaga is very clever with his little chips which always seem to find space, while Aaron is a superb tactical kicker and takes responsibility for it. Having a kicker at scrumhalf means the chase line is right on top of you, so the kicks are normally contestable. Aaron always kicks off at the restarts and the Highlanders have two big wings who are very good in the air, when Patrick Osborne and Waisake Naholo are running at you, you know you’re going to go backwards!

So field position still has a huge influence and top teams turn that into points. The Lions got away with not having much territory against the Crusaders because they were very disciplined, they didn’t give a lot away, and they built a score early on so the Crusaders were under pressure. Those two early tries took the wind out of the Crusaders and they had to chase the game from the start.

It’s typical of that Lions team, they have come through such adversity. It’s a tremendous story, most of their players were rejected somewhere else, they weren’t the first choices when they were 19 or 20 years old.

Franco Mostert was at the Bulls for four or five years and didn’t get the opportunity, and now he’s a player the Lions rally around. Warwick Tecklenburg also didn’t make it at the Bulls and he’s really matured as a player.

A lot of them have also spent seasons overseas, Elton Jantjies, Lionel Mapoe and Tecklenburg have all played in Japan. So a guy like Elton gets coaching from Swys de Bruin but also from someone like Rob Penney at NTT Shining Arcs, who used to coach Canterbury.

The way Malcolm Marx has progressed is very pleasing for me because I worked with him before. He used to drive for an hour to Pretoria to come throw for an hour and then drive back on his off day, because there was a perception in his junior days that his lineout throwing wasn’t good. He’s worked so hard and that’s what people don’t appreciate about this Lions team.

Rohan Janse van Rensburg is tearing up trees now but he also played Vodacom Cup for the Blue Bulls and look at how he is playing now. Andries Coetzee was also at the Bulls as a junior and was released, even though he had that big left foot even then.

The Lions have played together consistently, they’re very grounded as a group. Most of them actually live in Pretoria and are up at 5.30 every morning so they can be at the Lions by 6.30. Johan Ackermann and JP Ferreira get up at 4.30am! So they are a very hard-working bunch.

But the keys this weekend will be for them to use their scrum and to maul well, and to kick more contestable balls. They can’t give the Highlanders time on the ball, the defence must be on top of them, and the Lions have been defending very well, plus their back row are all stealers of the ball and Malcolm Marx is like a fourth loose forward. The Lions need to raise the tempo, like they did when they carved up the Crusaders midfield.

In terms of the other quarterfinals, the Stormers were such a disappointment and they have lost so many playoff games now, and convincingly at that and at home! So they have to look at their preparation. Their generals against the Chiefs, Robert du Preez and Jaco Taute, just haven’t played enough rugby this year.

To say they were taken by surprise by the extra intensity of the New Zealand sides is a weak excuse. The Stormers should have had that intensity and enthusiasm playing at home in a playoff game and it was Schalk Burger’s last appearance at Newlands.

The Chiefs did play really well, you have to give them credit, but I don’t think not playing a New Zealand side before was that relevant for the Stormers.

The wheels have really come off the Sharks since the June Tests, they’re not the same side they were before that. What was most disappointing about their loss to the Hurricanes was that they showed so little ambition. They just had the maul, pick-and-go and kick, they never used their Springboks back three.

The Hurricanes played well, Beauden Barrett kicked superbly, but the Sharks never fired a shot, that’s what was really concerning.

For the South African teams to concede 17 tries in their three playoff games is a big worry.

I would say the Hurricanes/Chiefs semifinal is a 50/50 game, although the Hurricanes are without Dane Coles, who is their talisman as captain, he’s full of energy and he rallies the team. The Hurricanes lineout will be under intense pressure from Brodie Retallick and Dominic Bird and they don’t have their first-choice hooker. So that game could go either way.

John McFarland is the assistant coach of the Kubota Spears in Japan and was the Springbok defence coach from 2012-15, having won three SuperRugby titles (2007, 09, 10) with the Bulls and five Currie Cup crowns with the Blue Bulls. In all, he won 28 trophies during his 12 years at Loftus Versfeld.