Currie Cup result: Lions beat Stormers to keep semi hopes alive
· Citizen
The Lions completely outplayed the Stormers XXIII at Ellis Park on Friday to remain in Currie Cup contention.
The Joburg side ran in five tries to secure a 36-12 win over an error-ridden Stormers side.
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The hosts opened the scoring after just three minutes when Matt Coetzee landed a penalty kick to put the Lions 3-0 ahead.
The hosts continued to apply pressure and were rewarded again in the 10th minute. A floating pass out to the wing followed by a deft offload inside to Gilermo Mentoe, meant the former Junior Bok cantered over for the opening try. Coetzee added the conversion to stretch the lead to 10-0.
Despite some strong attempts, the Stormers struggled to build sustained momentum, with handling errors and penalties hampering their efforts. They came close to opening their account in the 21st minute after taking a quick tap close to the Lions’ line, but lost possession just a few metres short.
The Lions however continued to threaten as the half progressed, with the Stormers increasingly under pressure close to their own line. The hosts were awarded further opportunities in the attacking 22, while the Stormers conceded a couple of infringements as the Lions searched for a third try.
That pressure finally told in the 38th minute. The Lions set up a powerful maul close to the Stormers’ line and drove it over, with captain Jarod Cairns emerging with the ball to score.
Coetzee could not add the conversion, but the Lions went into the break holding a 15-0 advantage.
Despite some errors creeping into their game, the Lions tightened their grip on the contest. Junior Bok bruiser, Ethan Adams, got his name on the scoresheet 15 minutes into the second half after a chip-and-chase and a favourable bounce. Coetzee easily slotted the conversion to make it difficult for the Stormers to stage a comeback.
Renzo du Plessis secured the bonus point for the Lions in the final quarter, slicing through the porous Stormers defence. Coetzee was once again on-song from the kicking tee.
It needed something spectacular to get the visitors back into the game, and that’s exactly what centre Markus Muller produced. The young centre showed strength to break the line and then pace to outstrip the defenders to the line.
Muller’s try seemed to add a bit of spark to the Stormers XXIII’s attack, but that was soon extinguished when replacement back Dominic Malgas was shown a yellow card for a shoulder to head tackle. Winger Latica Nela put the shine on an accomplished Lions performance at Ellis Park just minutes from full time.
The Stormers leave Joburg having had the final say. Replacement hooker Altus Rabe emerged from the bottom of a strong rolling maul for the visitors’ second try. It was converted by flyhalf Kyle Smith.
The win keeps the Lions’ semi-final hopes alive and temporarily takes them to third on the log on 20 points, but other results could push them down. For the Stormers, it’s the end of the road with no chance of advancing to the top 4.
LIONS – Tries: Gilermo Mentoe, Jarod Cairns, Ethan Adams, Renzo du Plessis, Latica Nela. Conversions: Matt Coetzee (4). Penalty: Coetzee.
STORMERS XXIII – Tries: Markus Muller, Altus Rabe. Conversion: Kyle Smith.
This story first appeared on sarugbymag.co.za. It is republished here with permission.