Lions claw their way back to great win
Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:02
Man of the match: Lions scrumhalf Jano Vermaak
The Golden Lions produced a spirited comeback to beat the Free State Cheetahs 31-22 on Saturday; recovering from a 19-point deficit to win in the closing minutes of their Currie Cup Round Two encounter in Johannesburg.
The Cheetahs started the brighter and controlled most of the early going. They had a lot of the ball and Adriaan Strauss and Francois Uys lead the charge as Free State made early inroads. The Lions defence held firm and it was the Gauteng side who had the first obvious scoring chance.
A good build-up by the Lions pushed them into Cheetahs territory and the ball found flank Franco van der Merwe in space on the left hand touchline. The impressive loose forward cleverly threw the ball inside as he was tackled and Walter Venter spilled what would have been a definite try.
That mistake signalled the start of a period in which the Cheetahs dominated. The men from Bloemfontein got on the board with a penalty by Jacques-Louis Potgieter in the 12th minute and for much of the first half it was all Free State. The fetching pair of Hendro Scholtz and Johan Wessels ruled the breakdown and the Free State strike runners looked dangerous.
It was 10-0 by the 19th minute after a try by prop Wian Du Preez.
The Cheetahs pack rumbled forward from an attacking lineout and the massive 120kg frame of Du Preez was unstoppable from close range. Potgieter added the extras and followed that up with a 24th minute penalty to stretch the lead to thirteen.
Potgieter was the governing influence of the opening half hour and he struck a brilliant 27th minute drop-goal to make the score 16-0.
The Cheetahs were controlling territory and possession and the Lions ill-discipline - particularly at ruck time - was costing them. They were struggling with the high tempo game and were being bossed at the contact points. Another Potgieter penalty made it 19-0 after 30 minutes.
It seemed as if the outcome of the game had already been decided; but the Lions were far from dead and buried.
The Lions attack had up till that point been lateral and non-threatening. The first receiver, usually either Herkie Kruger or Earl Rose, were too often guilty of shifting the ball across the field and players would find themselves isolated. But once they changed their tactics, the momentum began to shift.
Hans Coetzee's side looked far more impressive when they kept the ball at close quarters. Steady, patient build-up play put them on the scoreboard and in the game for the first time. Terrific ball retention by the pack put them in range; Franco vd Merwe going close. Quick ball put Venter in a gap and he finished well. A Kruger conversion made it 19-7 after 34 minutes.
Two minutes later, Kruger reduced the deficit further, putting over a fantastic penalty from over fifty metres to reduce the lead to nine. Nine soon became six after another Cheetahs indiscretion, and the teams went to the changeroom at 19-13, in favour of the visitors.
It was now anyone's game and the first score in the second half would be crucial. The Lions were reduced to fourteen men immediately after the break with eighthman Willem Alberts, somewhat harshly, being sin-binned for a shoulder charge.
But despite the setback, it was the home team that came out stronger in the second stanza. Kruger's pinpoint boot continued to punish the Cheetahs: 19-16 after 45 minutes. The match became tighter and tenser and it became increasingly clear that the outcome would only be decided late on.
Both flyhalves were having great days with the boot and Potgieter was on the board again with a 55th minute penalty. The Cheetahs pressurised the Lions back three with testing high balls. Rose often struggled against taller opponents, but the bounce never seemed to go the way of the Cheetahs.
The battle went back and forth, and the game needed somebody to spark it into life. That somebody was Jano Vermaak. The livewire scrumhalf had been good all game, and he was the catalyst for a inspired final ten minutes from his team. He organised his team's attack in style, allowing the forwards to move steadily over the advantage line, before seizing the moment to strike.
His quick hands and vision put wing Johan Jackson away in the corner. The Lions led for the first time in the match; 24-22 with just four minutes to play.
And just before the hooter, Vermaak sealed the win with a touch of brilliance. Potgieter threw a wild pass that went to ground and the ball was hacked forward. Vermaak showed great pace and made an unbelievable pick-up to dive over and secure a 31-22 victory for his team.
Man of the match: For the Cheetahs, Johan Wessels and Adriaan Strauss were impressive amongst the pack, whilst Jacques-Louis Potgieter had a great first half before fading in the second. For the home side Franco vd Merwe was prominent in all facets. Walter Venter and Johan Jackson also made their names more known to Currie Cup followers, but it was Jano Vermaak who inspired the win with crisp service, vision and a wonderful try.
The scorers:
For the Golden Lions:
Tries: Venter, Jackson, Vermaak
Cons: Kruger 2
Pens: Kruger 4
For the Free State Cheetahs:
Try: Du Preez
Con: Potgieter
Pens: Potgieter 4
DG: Potgieter
Yellow card: Willem Alberts (Lions, 41st minute - foul play, shoulder charge)
Teams:
Golden Lions: 15 Earl Rose, 14 Dusty Noble, 13 Alwyn Hollenbach, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Johan Jackson, 10 Herkie Kruger, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8
Willem Alberts, 7 Franco van der Merwe, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar (captain), 5 Willem Stoltz, 4 Nico Luus, 3 Gert Muller, 2 Hans van Dyk, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Derek Harwood, 17 Kevin Buys, 18 Robert Kruger, 19 Derick Minnie, 20 Chris Jonck, 21 Pieter Engelbrecht, 22 Michael Killian.
Free State Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Danwel Demas, 13 Corné Uys, 12 Robert Ebersohn, 11 Jongi Nokwe, 10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9 Tertius Carse, 8 Francois Uys, 7 Hendro Scholtz (captain), 6 Johan Wessels, 5 David de Villiers, 4 Nico Breedt, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Wian du Preez.
Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Frans Viljoen, 19 Kabamba Floors, 20 Gerrie Odendaal, 21 Louis Strydom, 22 JW Jonker.
Date: Saturday, July 18
Venue: Coca-Cola Park, Johannesberg
Kick-off: 15.00 (13.00 GMT)
Referee: Stuart Berry
Assistant referees: Jason Jaftha, Stefan Breytenbach
TMO: Shaun Veldsman
By Tim Human
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