Terrific triumphs for stunning Sharks & lethal Lions

The Lions and Sharks revelled in counter attacking brilliance on a South African derby day when potency thumped possession as the name of the game, writes Mark Keohane.

The Lions beat the Stormers for the first time in seven Vodacom United Rugby Championship matches and their win was a throwback to their inaugural beating of the Stormers four seasons ago.

The Stormers salvaged a losing bonus point with a late Jurie Matthee penalty but the damage was done in the first 30 minutes with the hosts three tries to the good and 24-6 ahead at half time.

Statistics can be an evil because they can act as an Elastoplast and the only statistic that matters in sport is the final score.

The Stormers review will show they made just 59 tackles, half of the Lions tally, conceded six penalties to the Lions 14, had 22 entries into the 22, as opposed to the Lions’ six, and enjoyed 70 percent field position and 63 percent possession.

Yet they lost and never looked like winning, as the Lions played with maturity on defence, made vital one-on-one tackles and were lethal on the counter-attack in exposing first-up one-on-one missed Stormers tackles.

The Monday review session won’t be pretty and outside centre Wandisile Simelane and loose-forward BJ Dixon will be particularly embarrassed at missed tackles that led to two of the Lions three tries.

Stormer fullback Warrick Gelant scored an individual beauty and his appetite to counter attack was a combination of desire and desperation at what seemed a hopeless situation 30 minutes into the match. Right wing Ben Loader was busy and Evan Roos was active with his ball carries but will still berate himself for losing ball or turning over ball when on the charge.

The Stormers line out has improved over the last two derby matches, against the Bulls and on Saturday against the Lions, but their attack in Johannesburg was limp and too predictable. The struggled, all-round, in decision-making, in consistency when it came to game management and while they are a team that never surrenders and refuses to accept defeat, this warrior attitude was not matched in their decision-making, with too many too often seeking the miracle offload or the miracle play.

The Lions, often, have been accused of being too ‘helper-skelter’ and to generous in giving up points or letting opponents back into matches. Not so on Saturday. The home team were considered in where they wanted to play the game, backed themselves to break the first tackle and took three points when on offer.

Fullback Quan Hỏrn was good, centre Henco van Wyk was a threat and left wing Edwin van der Merwe made comfortable metres when in space. Paarl Boys High old boy Gianni Lombard, starting at No 10, kicked 15 points and his halfback partner Morne van den Berg was the most impressive of the backs.

The Lions pack, as a collective, made the most telling statement on defence and in their ruggedness in the collisions. This was a match won on defence once the first half counter-attack had built up a substantial lead.

SA Rugby Mag match review: Lions 30 Stormers 23

The match in Johannesburg had most divided pre-kick-off as to the winner but all predictions favoured the Bulls to win comfortably in Pretoria, given the Sharks were without their most experienced Springbok forwards in Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Ox Nche and Vincent Koch. They were also without backs Jaden Hendrikse, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi and Aphelele Fassi.

Few expected the Sharks to last the eighty minutes in Pretoria. I led the chorus on our Keo & Zels show this week in declaring a 16 points Bulls win, and after three minutes it looked accurate with the hosts leading seven-nil.

But the Sharks were stunning on the counter attack, with their entire back division making a statement with ball in hand. Ethan Hooker on the left wing is going to play for the Springboks at some stage this season, SA under 21 star Jurenzo Julius blossomed at outside centre with veteran Springboks No 12 Lukanyo Am on his inside and Jordan Hendrikse (fullback), Yaw Penxe (right wing), Siya Masuku (10) and Grant Williams (9) were a menace in initiating the counter attacks and refusing to fold when the Sharks were reduced to 12 players at one stage because of yellow cards. Sharks flanker Tina Masevere was the most influential of the loose-forwards on either side.

The Bulls, with a three and two player advantage in the second half, were awful in their game control and management of all the possession and field position and it was the Sharks who overturned a 12-10 deficit on 55 minutes to score three tries and 19 points in the final quarter.

The Bulls, with hooker Johan Grobelaar industrious, replacement hooker Akker van der Merwe initially adding thrust, Wilco Louw bossing the scrums from tighthead and right wing Canan Moodie, unrelenting in his efforts, are a quartet who will be spared Bulls coach Jake White’s verbals at the Monday review session. They were the pick of a home team who fumbled their lines in the last 60 minutes.

The win for the Sharks keeps them in the top four and the Bulls, despite the defeat, remain in the top four.

The reminder in both derbies was that it is not about how much ball a team has, but what they do with what little they may get.

SA Rugby Mag match review: Bulls 19 Sharks 29