Bizarre try ends Lions massive comeback at Loftus

A bizarre try at the death helped the Vodacom Bulls stop a second-half onslaught to beat a very strong Sigma Lions team 43-37 in their Carling Currie Cup match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

After leading 35-17 at the break after five tries in the first half, the second was the opposite as the Lions piled on the pressure and dominated every facet of play, bringing the scoreline to 38-37 with minutes to go in the end and pressing hard for a massive comeback win.

But a break by David Kriel settled one of the better games of the season in the favour of the home side. Kriel's break saw the ball intercepted by Edwill van der Merwe behind the tryline. The ball was passed to captain Burger Odendaal who tried to run out and passed the ball inside into the hands of Kriel’s younger brother Richard in the dead ball area, prompting the replacement fullback to simply dot down.

It was also a massive moral victory for the Vodacom Bulls, especially as they picked a second-string side while the Lions’ decision to go with a URC-laden side into the Currie Cup game backfired spectacularly on them.

Under pressure after player movements that were announced this week and with a Currie Cup record that is the worst in the history of the union, the Lions earlier this week decided to shunt aside Currie Cup coach Mzwhake Nkosi and bring in the URC coaching team under Ivan van Rooyen and the strongest side available to give them a rare victory.

It may have been done under the guise of giving the URC side a game before they leave for Wales next week for their final URC game against the Dragons, but it was clearly to give the side some positive news after weeks of poor results in the Currie Cup and stories of players leaving.

Still, on the night, the Bulls took another step towards a home semifinal, led by their inspirational captain Lizo Gqoboka, who was easily their man of the match, and the young side produced for the first half and then hung on in the second to ensure the win.

Their final game in the Currie Cup will be against the unbeaten Cheetahs side in Bloemfontein and that will determine who will end up top of the log and could easily turn out to be a mini-final.

The Bulls confounded the team selections and pre-match predictions with an early assault that caught the Lions offside. First, it was Gqoboka who forced his way over from close range, and while a deft backline move put Ruben Schoeman into perfect space to level the scores, Bismarck du Plessis added his name to the scoresheet shortly afterwards.

It was the perfect inside pass to David Kriel from a lineout move that showed the Bulls weren’t going to lie down at home for their neighbours, and when Janko Swanepoel found a gap for the bonus point on the half-hour the Bulls were flying.

The Lions - with two yellow cards to Burger Odendaal and Stean Pienaar - were floundering and there was only one team in the contest.

Stedman Gans made it a fifth try in the 33rd minute but then the momentum shifted the moment Reinhardt Ludwig received his yellow and the Bulls were down to 14.

Burger Odendaal ran in a try after sustained pressure to end the half on a high for the Lions. Eleven consecutive penalties, many of them in the early second half, meant there was one way traffic and a massive shift in momentum.

At one stage, the penalty count was 14-1 against the Bulls in the second half, and it was hardly surprising the Lions came back in droves.

It was first Francke Horne, then Jordan Hendrikse who scored as the Lions resurgence took centre stage and the Bulls struggled to hang on.

A Keegan Johannes penalty gave the Bulls a bit of breathing space, but when Sibusiso Sangweni scored it was game on and the Lions were champing at the bit to get to the Bulls.

It took another Hendrikse penalty to narrow the gap to one point, whereafter the bizarre try played itself out, and Odendaal’s pass found Richard Kriel in the goal area, gifting the win to the Bulls.

But the game left the Lions with their 10th straight loss. It was one of the most enthralling matches in the domestic competition and plenty to talk about for both sides as the competition starts to draw to a close.

Scorers

Vodacom Bulls - Tries:Lizo Gqoboka, Bismarck du Plessis, David Kriel, Janko Swanepoel, Stedman Gans, Richard Kriel. Conversions: Juan Mostert (4), Keegan Johannes. Penalty:Johannes.

Sigma Lions - Tries:Ruben Schoeman, Burger Odendaal, Francke Horne, Jordan Hendrikse, Sibusiso Sangweni. Conversions: Jordan Hendrikse (3). Penalty:Hendrikse (2)