Blues win basement battle
11 May 2012
JON CARDINELLI reports on a scrappy 25-3 victory for the Blues, a result that could eventually see the Lions finishing the season with the wooden spoon.
It wasn’t pretty or polished by any stretch of the imagination, but the Blues did enough to snap a seven-game losing streak.
Conversely, the rudderless Lions sunk to new lows in this battle between the two worst-placed teams in the competition.
John Mitchell’s side has now lost nine games on the trot, and the poor quality of their recent performances suggests they could struggle to reverse what is a horrendous albeit familiar trend.
Both teams were under intense pressure coming into this clash, and the desperation was patent from the outset. The first quarter was truly painful to watch, as neither team managed to control the ball, and the Lions were particularly guilty of losing too much ball in contact.
The Blues seized the initiative as the game moved into the second quarter, a patient build-up eventually forcing a defensive error from a determined yet inferior Lions outfit. Michael Hobbs flew through for the try, and Gareth Anscombe added two points to his personal tally after nailing an earlier penalty.
The seven-point lead was significant, and the Blues began to take control in other areas of the game.
Their scrum mauled that of the Lions, the late inclusion of Tony Woodcock clearly having an impact. While the hosts’ lineout wobbled, their work at the collisions and breakdowns forced many a turnover. They conceded numerous penalties in this area, but they still managed to prevent the Lions from getting any sort of continuity.
The hosts also played a territorial game, and the Lions did well to finish the half without conceding further points. They were helped by the Blues’ lack of synergy on attack, as well as the fact that Anscombe missed a penalty attempt, and two more after the break.
But Anscombe eventually earned the Blues some reward for their dominance in the 46th minute, and from that point the Lions’ discipline went south. Their repeated infringements at the breakdown led to the sin-binning of Deon van Rensburg, and as the winger departed so too did the visitors’ chances of a fightback.
Reserve scrumhalf Alby Mathewson scored a try against the run of play to take the score to 18-3, and it proved to be the knock-out blow. Another five-pointer was added on the hooter, but this only served to further inflate the scoreline. The Lions were a beaten side long before this point.
The result sees the Lions dropping to the foot of the Super Rugby table. Considering their injury situation, they would do well to win a game on tour, and in the greater scheme of things they would do very well to avoid the overall wooden spoon.
There are six games remaining in their campaign and while they are within striking distance of the Blues and Force, there’s been nothing in their recent performances to suggest they can win the next two games in Australia, or indeed the majority of the games when they return to South Africa.
The fact that they weren’t able to register one try against this Blues side said it all. They’re struggling to score, their set-piece is a mess and their defence is woefully inconsistent. It’s hard to say exactly where their next win is going to come from.
133 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 [3] Show All
11 May 2012, 11:15 am
@Rentals(FrenklyMuDeah)-97:
Are you serious
11 May 2012, 11:15 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-96: No one is having a good game
11 May 2012, 11:18 am
Eish. Fulltime, Lions pumped by 22 by the Blues.
11 May 2012, 11:18 am
Damn Lions
Now the Bulls !!!
11 May 2012, 11:19 am
@HangkasHarry(HangkasHarry)-100: Lion Kings has a nice ring to it.
Yes Luke Braid! Fantasy points for me! One Positive out of this game for me! lol
11 May 2012, 11:19 am
Sorry bit this is pathetic!
I think the Kings will beat these lions if they play a game right now! Watch the Kings boast a better record than this sorry excuse for a team.
CC champs my @ss….shows you how they were helped by refs and Bokke not being there……
11 May 2012, 11:20 am
@Rentals(FrenklyMuDeah)-97: Its almost finished dude
11 May 2012, 11:22 am
Both Blues and Lions deserve to be relegated from Super XV! Awful standard compared tot he rest.
11 May 2012, 11:22 am
The Lions are pathetic, like the speed of this site.
11 May 2012, 11:24 am
Haven’t had this much fun since my wife made me pick up my toe-nail clippings. Cheers guys going to watch real rugby with beer in hand
11 May 2012, 11:27 am
@Hoops(Hoops)-106: Never will the Kings ever beat this Lions side thats the big point. the lions ay be struggling but that tells you just how nuts it is to put the kings in. the kings couldnt even beat the bulls u19!! but you guys want them to play the best from aus and new zealand?? crazy! just some perspective people… from the frying pan into thr fire but that how you guys like it i suppose. knee jerk reactions seem to be a saffer stapple and a lesson never learned.
11 May 2012, 11:43 am
Eish! I have no words for how bad the Lions are. I have no hope left for them, and I have no idea what the solution is for them, the idea of the “Cats” and the Kings issue… But they have done themselves NO favours this season
11 May 2012, 11:44 am
Why is Keo and Co along with a fair chunk of the stormers fan base exhibiting such a display of Xenophobia by slagging off your new Canadian Import, yes SA had an abundance of lose forwards to chose from, but so what! get over it and enjoy the diversity and be grateful that we can add to the global game…….what next Newlands faithful gonna boo him onto the pitch
11 May 2012, 11:44 am
“It’s hard to say exactly where their next win is going to come from.”
Not really, JC. It’s going to come in the Vodacom Cup.
11 May 2012, 11:46 am
They should never have won the Cheetahs!
11 May 2012, 11:47 am
Referring to my earlier post…what do you guys think of a Promotion/Relegation series of two matches between Lions and Kings ahead of next years Super Rugby. The side who wins both, go through, if it ends 1-1 a third and final game to be played to decide who will play. This will just prove that the Lions can smash the Kings. The third and final game will never even be played. But do this every year, and you will clearly see, the Kings will never win those promotion/relegation games thus will never play Super Rugby. This gives them a fair chance.
11 May 2012, 12:00 pm
@Sharkie10(Sharkie10)-116: the gov wont do that coz the kings wont win. theyll just do a straight swap because thats the way things work in sa. gotta have that quota team in there somewhere no matter what the cost no matter
11 May 2012, 12:01 pm
Down a Lion. Feel satisfied.
11 May 2012, 12:07 pm
@Blitzbok(Blitzbok)-111: The Super rugby Kings side will not be the same side that are playing at the moment. Why cant u guys get that ? They have ID some talent for next year but these guys cannot or dont want to commit until they know for sure that the kings will lay super rugby.
How can that be difficult to understand ? On what basis do the Kings not deserve to play super rugby ? The reds not too long ago lost by something like 90 points against the Bulls , look what they achieved last year !
The Kings deserve to be there , EP deserve their chance. Its unfortunate that the Lions will most likely lose out but thats SARU’s fault not the kings !
11 May 2012, 12:46 pm
@sparticus(sparticus)-119: the kings dont deserve to play super because they waste money they are a political disaster that cant beat anybody worth mentioning not even u19 bulls or cheetahs sides or a second string lions side. and if they do pilfer the lios theyd just be a watered down lions side still worse than the lions. jeez you are as thick as they come boet.
11 May 2012, 12:48 pm
@sparticus(sparticus)-119: also the saru and gov do NOT develop anything the reds are aussie run and not political. the ONLY reason for the kings is a racist agenda. they will fail just like EVERY OTHER political agenda.
11 May 2012, 14:36 pm
@Blitzbok(Blitzbok)-120: Geez , did you read what I said ? Why the need for personal silly attacks ? How much money do you think the Lions wasted the last few seasons.
Now also what part of the sentence the Kings wont have the same super rugby team as their CC team ? They targeted certain players and are waiting on confirmation of their involvement in Super rugby before they can commit .
I doubt that they targeted much Lions players becos firstly at the time they would have had very little idea that the lions would be relegated (which seems to be the case now) and secondly the lions players are k@k !
As for political agenda’s , sjoe show me a team in SA that does not have a political agenda , talk about thick.
Everyone seems to think the EP dont deserve to play Super rugby , they cite everything from money , players , etc. Some even say we should go down to 12 teams and have both the Lions and EP out , why now suddenly when a team plays **** should they not be allowed to play ? Why not when the Lions lost the last few years yes YEARS. How come they were given 2nd , 3rd , 10th chances ? Remember when the Bulls lost every single game in a season and came last for a few years ? How come they were allowed to build a team ?
The only agenda I can see is that some close minded people dont want a “black” Region playing super rugby ! The irony is that the team and management will be anything but black , it will be very diverse , hell the coach aint evens South African.
11 May 2012, 14:48 pm
And now…………. The end is near……….. And so we face……. our final season…………
11 May 2012, 15:11 pm
Well the Lions are sealing their own fates. Its that simple.
11 May 2012, 15:12 pm
@Sparticus, its no use bro these idiots wont get it. Anyway , well done lions on your 9th p@esklap. Woza Kings!
11 May 2012, 16:07 pm
A pox on the Blues. Really. I backed them every week and the week I decide enough is enough they win.
11 May 2012, 17:41 pm
In January John Mitchell was one of the favourite’s to be the next Bok coach and many on this site was convinced he would lead the Boks to the promise land……… imagine that.
Alistair Coetzee and Ludekak wasn’t even in the picture.
11 May 2012, 17:53 pm
@Jeraldjay(Jeraldjay)-127:with mitchell’s ragtag team, AC & ludekak would be even worse
11 May 2012, 18:46 pm
Yoh, but the PK lions fans are fuming on other sites, its farkin hilarious! Bunch of fickle flop feline fans. Yes boys, told ya last year that this is superugby no second rate teams here :p
11 May 2012, 18:47 pm
Transie you I both know AC’s done a great job this year instilling confidence in the youngsters and creating a winning culture irrespective of all the injury setbacks.
And most of the injuries were to senior players.
11 May 2012, 20:32 pm
@Jeraldjay(Jeraldjay)-130:quality youngsters, not road kill like ross cronje.
12 May 2012, 00:09 am
@Jeraldjay(Jeraldjay)-130: @Transformation(Transformation)-131:
Does it mean that in 2016, it will be between Ludeke and Coetzee?
…or too early?
13 May 2012, 18:02 pm
Even the coach has had it up to his eyeballs with this ragtag bunch of hasbeen palookahs.
Pages: « 1 2 [3] Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.