The Emirates Lions produced a near perfect exhibition of running rugby as they thrashed Edinburgh 55-21 in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The Lions were never headed and scored eight tries, three of them to wing Rabz Maxwane, as they produced a scintillating brand of rugby that deserved to be watched more than the small crowd that turned out at what admittedly is a questionable time to be kicking off a professional rugby game at this time of year.
To be fair, Edinburgh were always going to be up against it in a game that effectively started at lunch time on a hot highveld summer afternoon. In that regard, the fact they outscored the Lions in the second half was a tick for them.
But they failed in what should have been their early quest to slow the game down. For the Lions it required them to play up tempo rugby, and they did that perfectly, with Edinburgh looking more jaded and tired the longer the first half endured.
But that should not distract from what was a massive statement performance from the Lions against a team that did play the Vodacom Bulls last week so should have been acclimatised much better to the altitude.
SUBLIME FIRST HALF
The hosts played sublime rugby to score seven first half tries and were always going at more than a point a minute throughout a half that ended with them leading 48-0.
The only time Edinburgh came close to scoring points in that period was when they were awarded a penalty in front of the posts just as the game reached the 20-minute mark with the visitors trailing 15-0.
Instead, they kicked for touch and were left to rue that decision as they made mistakes that led to a scrum advantage from which they launched the attack that led to a 95 metre Lions try.
Flyhalf Kade Wolhuter had very much been the fulcrum of that attack, with his surge through the Edinburgh defenders putting Morne van den Bergh into space, from where he launched the kick that the Lions’ returning Springbok wing Edwill van der Merwe chased down.
That made it 22-0 after as many minutes and four minutes later a great running line from centre Rynhardt Jonker clinched the try scoring bonus point and a 29-0 lead.
It was game set and match, although in truth the writing was already on the wall when Franke Horne, the Lions’ captain, broke through a loose scrum to set up fullback Quan Horn for the try that with Wolhuter’s second minute penalty made it 8-0.
A long pass to flank JC Pretorius, who was a deserved recipient of the official man of the match award and is always dangerous in the wide channels as well as a tyro at the breakdowns, then set up Maxwane for his first, although the wing did still have a bit of work to do so his wrong footing of the remaining defender was spectacular and brilliant.
They were outstanding at keeping ball in hand but that didn’t mean there was the occasional kick, such as when Van der Merwe completed his brace shortly before halftime as the Lions crossed for their seventh try. Sanele Nohamba was on the field by then for Wolhuter, who appeared to tweak a hamstring during an impressive break down the right flank that sent in Maxwane for a 40 metre try, and the Lions’ fifth, which was converted from the touchline by Van den Bergh.
Edinburgh made a mistake by kicking onto the Lions too much and it was another ball run back from their own half that eventually led to skipper Horne going over for try No6 as the Lions razzled and dazzled in the early afternoon sun with a statement performance par excellence.
RABZ COMPLETES HATTRICK
Edinburgh did recover a bit in the minutes after halftime, cottoning onto the reality that the best way to keep the Lions out was to keep the ball themselves.
They crossed for tries to co-captain Grant Gilchrist and Patrick Harrison to cut it to 48-14 as the game reached the 50th minute.
But using the word cut is very relative, for the game had long since been done and dusted as a genuine contest and what Edinburgh were left to play for was a consolation try scoring bonus point.
They got within sight of that when another series of drives near the Lions line saw Ben Muncaster dot down in the 67th minute and by then they were salvaging some pride from the wreckage of the humiliation of the first half. But it was the Lions who had the last say on the scoreboard as Maxwane completed his hattrick by going over in the right corner as the Lions crossed the half century mark.
The Lions were simply outstanding, particularly in that first half, where they gave a great exhibition of the benefits that can be derived from a high work-rate and impressive work off the ball.
There wasn’t a single phase where the Lions were found wanting on a day where they played a vibrant, energetic style of rugby in which all 15 players on the field at a given time sent out an ominous warning to future opponents.
The Lions’ win followed on from their good opening against Ulster the previous week and gives them a good buffer to play off before they embark on their overseas tour.
It will be a lot tougher overseas, where they won’t have the aid of the altitude and African spring conditions aiding them, but for now it certainly does look as though a plan is coming together as the Johannesburg team continues to build on the momentum provided by the continuity of the past few seasons.
SCORERS
Emirates Lions 55 - Tries: Rabz Maxwane 3, Edwill van der Merwe 2, Quan Horn, Franke Horn and Rynharndt Jonker; Conversions: Kade Wolhuter 3, Sanele Nohamba 2 and Morne van den Bergh; Penalty: Kade Wolhuter.
Edinburgh 21 - Tries: Grant Gilchrist, Patrick Harrison and Ben Muncaster; Conversions: Ben Healy and Ross Thompson.