Lions sneak past Sharks

JOHANNESBURG - Wow! Just wow.

It was pulsating, it was thrilling, it was South African derby rugby at its very best.

The Sharks didn’t deserve to lose, but then neither did the Lions – not after the season they’ve had, and not after how they dominated against the visitors in the latter stages of this hugely exciting Super Rugby quarter-final clash on Saturday.

In the end it was a 55 metre penalty kick by Ruan Combrinck that got his team over the line, and dashed the hopes of the Sharks. He slotted the kick that mattered most after an outing when the Lions kickers, especially Elton Jantjies, forgot their boots at home.

The match should never have come down to that final kick in the 78th minute. Before it Jantjies had missed two penalties and two conversions and Combrinck one penalty, after he’d replaced the No 10 as the goal-kicker. That was 13 points wasted.

It was almost inconceivable what played out in front of the home crowd, who’d seen the Lions win 13 on the trot before yesterday’s meeting. In a forgettable first half Johan Ackermann’s men were a shadow of the team that has dominated all-comers since late April last year, and it so nearly cost them. Only a strong second half showing when they scored 20 points to the Sharks’ seven saved them from being on the wrong side of a mighty big upset.

They made elementary mistakes, they made handling errors and they couldn’t string any phases together. They lost the ball in contact and they conceded turn-overs.

But hats off to the visitors. Coach Robert du Preez got his tactics spot on. With the Du Preez twins, Daniel and Jean-Luc leading the way, the Sharks played in the faces of the Lions, they rushed them up front and at the back and forced the Lions to make 50/50 passes. They cut off the supply line at the back by getting in between the Lions outside men and the home team buckled under the pressure.

At half-time the Sharks were 14-3 up having played the near perfect game, but one sensed the Lions would always come back strongly after the horror show of the first 40. A yellow card to Stephen Lewies in the 48th minute – for repeated infringing by the Sharks – opened the door for the home team and they struck a double blow through Franco Mostert and Jaco Kriel to get back into the game.

Then Lionel Mapoe crossed in the 61 minute after the Lions had countered from deep in their own half to help his side into the lead for the first time, but the action was far from over.

Sharks No 9 Cobus Reinach was denied a try by the TMO after his lock mate Etienne Oosthuizen had been deemed to have taken out defender Mapoe at the ruck, but it mattered little as Dan du Preez went over soon after to put the Sharks back in front.

It all came down to the final 10 minutes and who’d make the first mistake and gift the game to the other team. The Sharks made two mistakes. Combrinck though missed his first shot at goal in the 71st minute, but he slotted the winner in the 78th.

This was a big wake-up call for the Lions, who were put under severe pressure for the first time this season. The Hurricanes, who they face this coming Saturday, will have watched how vulnerable Jantjies and his team-mates can be when on the back foot and when things aren’t going their way.

That said, Ackermann’s men remain on course to host a Super Rugby final ... but they’ll first have to down the Canes – the only New Zealand team they didn’t manage to beat last season.