Lions shine on bleak weekend for SA sides

The Lions recorded their first victory of the European season when they beat Lyon in an exciting EPCR Challenge Cup clash in Johannesburg to keep their play-off aspirations alive but the Vodacom Bulls, DHL Stormers and Hollywoodbets Sharks were beaten in the Investec Champions Cup over the weekend.

Saturday started on a grim note in Pretoria, where the Bristol Bears fired more shots than the Bulls to win a high-scoring Investec Champions Cup clash by 61-49 on a sunny and warm afternoon at Loftus Versfeld, all but securing the win in the first 25 minutes when they scored 42 points.

The Lions then beat Lyon 60km south at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, for their first win of the European season, outscoring their visitors from France by five tries to four, for the only South African victory of the weekend.

The Sharks started well in their clash against the Sale Sharks in Manchester but in the end the hosts won by 26-10, with the visitors leaving England empty-handed.

The Stormers were taken apart by Harlequins in the Investec Champions Cup in London on Sunday 61-10, while the Toyota Cheetahs' clash with Ulster was cancelled and the ERPC has awarded the Irish side a 28-0 win, securing them five log points.

The Bristol Bears recorded a magnificent victory over the Bulls in their third-round Investec Champions Cup clash at Loftus Versfeld, all but ending the hosts’ charge to the play-offs in a high scoring affair that delivered 15 five-pointers and a penalty try.

Despite never giving up, the Bulls were made to pay for a sluggish start in which the English club scored three converted tries in the first seven minutes.

It was tit for tat after that, with Jeandre Rudolph and Stravino Jacobs crossing for the hosts, with the speedster grabbing his second not long after the first but almost every time the Bears hit back with tries of their own, with Noah Heward completing his hat-trick after the buzzer at the end of the first half.

Late tries by Sebastian de Klerk and Willie le Roux gave the Bulls some hope but they failed to capitalise and could only grab a try-scoring bonus point.

It almost seemed like tackling was optional at Loftus Versfeld, with the Bulls just not able to contain Bristol, while being guilty of too many mistakes, including losing the ball at crucial times on the attack and being held up over the Bears’ try-line at the death, which would have handed them a second bonus-point.

This was the men from Pretoria’s seventh successive defeat in all competitions and serious introspection will be necessary at Loftus Versfeld if they are going to salvage their season.

The Bulls’ hopes of reaching the Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 are basically dead and buried, although they can still sneak in after next weekend’s final pool round against Section Paloise in France.

Score

Vodacom Bulls 49 (28) – Tries: Jeandre Rudolph, Stravino Jacobs (2), Penalty try, David Kriel, Sebastian de Klerk, Willie le Roux. Conversions: Handre Pollard (6).

Bristol Bears 61 (47) – Tries: Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Max Lahiff, Noah Heward (3), Kalaveti Ravouvou (2), Kieran Marmion, Pedro Rubiolo. Conversions: Tom Jordan (8).

The Lions showed guts until the final minute of their third round EPCR Challenge Cup against Lyon at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday to turn a two-point deficit with minutes left on the clock into a bonus-point 42-33 victory.

The Johannesburgers were impressive in the first half as they showed enterprise and determination on attack and supported this with solid defence, which saw them score four tries to two to seal their bonus point before the break. They added two more tries to three by the opposition in the second half to clinch the victory.

Former Junior Springbok star Batho Hlekani, who recently joined the Lions from the Sharks, scored the first points in the seventh minute as he picked up a loose ball to dot down but this was cancelled out by Lyon four minutes later as the hosts made a crucial handling error close to their tryline, which saw the scores level at 7-7.

The Lions, however, hit back strongly with Richard Kriel capitalising on an overlap and Quan Horn gathering a perfect switch respectively to score within five minutes of one another to extend their tally to 21 points.

The Frenchmen were dealt a blow as they received a yellow card for a high tackle and this paved the way for Renzo du Plessis to score the Lions’ bonus point try, although they allowed Lyon to score a crucial try before the break to enter the sheds trailing by 28-14.

The visitors fought back strongly in the second half with a try shortly after the restart, and they added two more after Angelo Davids scored the Lions’ fifth try from a stunning chip kick to reduce their deficit to 35-33 with six minutes left on the clock.

However, Lyon’s hopes of a victory on the highveld were dashed by a last-minute try compliments of Morne Brandon from a quick tap, which saw the Lions secure the hard-earned 42-33 victory.

Score

Lions 42 (28) – Tries: Batho Hlekani, Richard Kriel, Quan Horn, Renzo du Plessis, Angelo Davids, Morne Brandon. Conversions: Chris Smith (6).

Lyon 33 (14) – Tries: Charly Mignot, Alexandre Tchaptchet, Esteban Gonzalez, Mathis Sarragallet, Alfred Parisien. Conversions: Paddy Jackson (4).

A strong second-half showing by the Sale Sharks saw them turn a narrow 7-3 half-time lead into an encouraging victory in their round-three Investec Champions Cup match against the Sharks at the CorpAcq Stadium in England, with the home side outscoring the visitors four tries to one for a handy bonus-point victory.

It was a frustrating first half for both teams as they ran hard on attack only to be shut out by the effective defence, which saw the Sale Sharks scoring only one try to a penalty by the Sharks for a 7-3 lead.

The tables turned in the second half as Sale controlled proceedings and converted many of their chances into points, which earned them their bonus point for four tries, while limiting the South Africans to only one.

Siya Masuku slotted a penalty goal for the KwaZulu-Natalians in the eighth minute but it wasn’t long before the Sale Sharks forced their way over the chalk following sustained pressure close to the tryline for a 7-3 lead.

Both teams tried hard to breach the defence as the half progressed, but with no success as neither team was able to gain proper ascendancy, with the Sharks, in particular, botching at least three possible try-scoring chances.

The Sale Sharks dominated the second half, applying immense pressure on the visitors’ defence and their determined efforts paid off as they scored three tries to only one by the Sharks’ Manu Tshituka, whose power and pace saw him crash over from a stunning pick-and-dash to take an encouraging 26-10 lead.

Unfortunately for the Durbanites, they did not create sufficient opportunities to threaten the Englishman in the second stanza, which cost them dearly in the end and saw them suffer their second defeat in three outings in the competition.

Score

Sale Sharks 26 (7) – Tries: Rekeiti Ma'asi-White, Bevan Rodd, Tom O'Flaherty (2). Conversions: George Ford (3).

Hollywoodbets Sharks 10 (3) – Try: Manu Tshituka. Conversion: Siya Masuku. Penalty: Masuku.

Harlequins were a force to be reckoned with in their third round Investec Champions Cup clash against the Stormers at the Stoop in London, where they outscored the visitors from Cape Town by nine tries to two for a commanding victory.

It was one-way traffic for most of the match as Harlequins ran riot on attack to hand the Stormers, who rested a number of first-choice players, their first defeat in all competitions this season.

The hosts did well to convert their opportunities into points, which saw them score five tries in the first half and they added another four in the second half to secure the comprehensive victory.

The Stormers, in turn, tried hard to breach the defence but their efforts were stunted except for two second-half tries, which saw them take their score to double digits.

Harlequins imposed themselves from the outset and created try-scoring opportunities at will, and they capitalised on most of them in the opening stanza, which saw them cross the tryline five times within 22 minutes and accumulate 33 points without answer from the Stormers.

They backed this up with a phenomenal defensive effort, which resulted in them countering every chance the Capetonians created in an attempt to cross the tryline, which left the visitors scoreless in the first half.

They built on this momentum in the second half, scoring three tries in a row – which saw Nick David secure his hat-trick – before the Stormers finally breached the defence to score back-to-back unconverted tries by Imad Khan and Dylan Maart to reduce their deficit.

Their hopes of a strong finish to the match, however, were hampered by Harlequins’ ninth try on the stroke of full-time, which saw them register a memorable win against the United Rugby Championship log leaders, while handing them their first defeat in the Investec Champions Cup this season.

The final pool round of the competition is next weekend, when the Bulls are away in France against Section Paloise (10pm on Friday), and on 17 January, the Sharks host ASM Clermont Auvergne in Durban (3pm) and the Stormers take on the Leicester Tigers in Cape Town (5.15pm).

In the EPCR Challenge Cup fourth round, the Lions are away against Perpignan in France (Saturday at 7.30pm) and Racing-92 host the Toyota Cheetahs (Sunday at 7.30pm).

Score

Harlequins 61 (33) – Tries: Jack Kenningham, Cadan Murley, Alex Dombrandt, Chandler Cunningham-South, Nick David (3), Zach Carr. Conversions: Marcus Smith (8).

DHL Stormers 10 (0) – Tries: Imad Khan, Dylan Maart.

No fewer than 15 Springboks have made the cut for the Bulls’ touring squad ahead of vital Investec Champions Cup and Vodacom URC fixtures against Pau and Edinburgh respectively.

Among these are Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie, who recently spent time out due to concussion protocols.

Cheswill Jooste also finds himself on the plane to Europe and will be available for both fixtures.

The team will be looking to boost their Cup ambitions on Friday evening, although Pau are in solid form. They lie second in the Top 14 and beat the Scarlets away on Saturday.

The following weekend the Bulls travel to Edinburgh to pick up their URC campaign.

Ruan Vermaak and Reinhardt Ludwig will provide cover at lock, while Keagan Johannes will back up Handre Pollard in the number 10 jersey.

Gerhard Steenekamp misses out due to injury.

PAU/Edinburgh tour group

1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels; Alulutho Tshakweni; Sti Sithole

2 Johan Grobbelaar; Akker van der Merwe;

3 Wilco Louw; Mornay Smith; Francois Klopper

4 Cobus Wiese; Ruan Vermaak

5 Ruan Nortje; Reinhardt Ludwig

6 Marco van Staden; Marcell Coetzee

7 Elrigh Louw; Mpilo Gumede

8 Jeandre Rudolph; Nizaam Carr

9 Embrose Papier; Zak Burger

10 Handre Pollard; Keagan Johannes

11 Kurt-Lee Arendse; Stravino Jacobs

12 Harold Vorster; David Kriel

13 Canan Moodie; Stedman Gans

14 Sebastian de Klerk; Cheswill Jooste

15 Willie le Roux; Devon Williams

Meanwhile, single-day tickets now available with over 60% of tickets already sold.

Two showpiece Finals, played on consecutive days, set to transform Bilbao into the beating heart of club rugby.

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