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Lions maul Bulls in trans-Jukskei derby

The 56-20 win (seven tries to three) saw the Lions go six points clear of their nearest rivals, the Stormers, in the combined Africa conference.

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And it also puts them seven points ahead of Africa Two rivals, the Sharks – with just three rounds of league fixtures remaining when the teams return from the June break.

The Lions are also currently second on the tournament's overall standings, just three points behind the table-topping Crusaders.

It doesn't happen every week. In fact it has rarely happened before that teams have scored more than 50 points against the Bulls or the Blue Bulls or Northern Transvaal. And that at Loftus Versfeld.

The Bulls went into Satuday's match against the Lions at Loftus Versfeld as the only one of the 18 Super Rugby teams to have won all its home matches. That is now well and truly no longer true.

When the Brumbies and the Crusaders hammered more than 70 points past the Bulls, that was in Canberra and Christchurch – last century. When Golden Lions, last century, scored 57 points against the Blue Bulls, it was at Ellis Park.

This time it happened at Loftus Versfeld, just a week after the Bulls had dismantled the Stormers there. These creative, almost carefree Lions scored 56 points against the Bull, 31 of them in the 40 minutes of the second half.

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It took the Lions one minute to take the lead and that lead was not in danger of being overtaken during the next 79 minutes.Lions maul Bulls in trans-Jukskei derby

The Lions were far too  good – too fast, too creative, too confident, too supportive, too clever for the Bulls, who were up for the game but must have ended it bewildered.

Apart from the points' score, the Bulls lost the penalty count 12-7, lost three line-outs, lost a scrum and were beaten hands down at the tackle.

The Lions, playing in black and gold instead of red and white, kicked off. Pieter Labuschagne was penalised and Marius Boshoff, promoted from the Blue Bulls, goaled. 3-0 after a minute. He missed a penalty attempt but then goaled another when Labuschagne was again penalised. 6-0 after 12 minutes.

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Not that the Lions were idle in that first part of the game. They had a promising bit of play when Francois de Klerk went haring down the left and Jaco Kriel was on hand to carry it on. From him it went right to Rohan Janse Van Rensburg who broke on an arc, through SP Marais's tackle and over for the first try of the match. 13-0 after 19 minutes.

The Bulls kicked off. The ball flew over Warren Whiteley's head as he was lifted. It hit the ground and bounced high. Jesse Kriel grabbed it with glee and sped down the left touchline to score in the corner. 13-5 after 20 minutes.

Strong, fast Ruan Combrinck sped down the right, raced over SP Marais and was eventually forced into touch by three Bulls. That gave the Bulls a line-out five metres from their own line, which the Lions won but the Bulls recovered the ball with a turnover and survived.

It was not a match of many scrums. The first one came after 24 minutes – Bulls put-in and the Bulls lost it. Janse van Rensburg broke past Jan Serfontein and gave to Lionel Mapoe who bounced off Marais and drew away from Jamba Ulengo to score. 18-5 after 26 minutes.

The Bulls kicked a penalty out a long way downfield, won the line-out and mauled. The Lions were penalised again and Brummer made it 18-8 after 35 minutes.

Janse van Rensburg chipped and caught, and the Lions were back on the attack. Then Mapoe forced himself ahead and pushed an underarm pass into the hands of Warwick Tecklenburg. The Lions were close. It took three Bulls to stop Jaco Kriel, De Klerk was close and then Kriel gave the smoothest scrumhalf pass from the floor to Julian Redelinghuys who crashed over next to the posts. That made the half-time score 25-8.

Early in the second half the Bulls incurred a string of penalties. The third was a high tackle by Rudolph Strydom on Boshoff as he broke. Boshoff goaled 28-8 after 47 minutes.

The Lions carried on running – Malcolm Marx powerfully, De Klerk with a nippy chip and catch, and speedily  by Sylvain Mahuza.

The Bulls were penalised for the fifth time in the half, De Klerk tapped and raced off on a long break. He played inside to Jaco Kriel who charged  the last 25 metres to score at the posts, 35-8 after 54 minutes.

A penalty gave the Bulls an attacking line-out and then a maul which they shoved over the line for a try credited to Adriaan Strauss. 35-13 after 57 minutes.

Well inside their own territory the Lions ran. Whiteley sped outside Rudy Paige and then gave inside to Courtnall Skosan who raced many metres to score in the corner. Boshoff converted from touch. 42-13 after 63 minutes.

The outcome decided substitutes flooded onto the field.

Penalty, and the Lions had a five-metre line-out and maul. They attacked, Tian Schoeman was penalised and sent to the sin bin as it followed a team warning about such tackle infringements and the Lions opted for a five-metre scrum. From the scrum De Klerk did his own thing – scuttled away on the scrum's left and stretched to score a try as Paige tried to stop him. 49-13 after 68 minutes.

Howard Mnisi, five metres from his own line, passed to Janse van Rensburg who gave to Mahuza. Mahuza did a scissors with Skosan and he gave to Janse van Rensburg who raced over 50 metres down the left touchline for a try in the corner. 56-13 with four minutes to play.

The Lions were penalised and Paige took a tap. The Bulls drove at the line till a sharp pass enabled Deon Stegmann to score under the posts. Schoeman, back from the sin bin, converted. 56-20 after 79 minutes, and the score stayed that to the end.

Man of the Match: Craig Joubert was refereeing his 100th Super Rugby match and Jaco Kriel was playing his 50th, and both could be candidates. All of the Lions backs were candidates and so were all of their forwards. But instead of making all 17 Men of the Match, which would not be inappropriate, we are going to toe the traditional line and choose Francois de Klerk – more as a player than as a scrumhalf. He often left flyhalf chores to others but wherever he was involved in the game there was excitement.

The scorers:

For the Bulls:

Tries: Jessie Kriel, Strauss, Stegmann

Con: Schoeman

Pen: Brummer

For the Lions:

Tries: Janse van Rensburg 2, Mapoe, Redelinghuys, Jaco Kriel, Skosan, De Klerk

Cons: Boshoff 6

Pens: Boshoff 3

Yellow card: Tian Schoeman (Bulls, 67 – repeated infringements, slowing the ball down)

Teams:

Bulls: 15 Sarel Marais, 14 Jamba Ulengo, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Arno Botha, 7 Jannes Kirsten, 6 Pieter Labuschagne, 5 Rudolph Snyman, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Lizo Gqoboka.

Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Pierre Schoeman, 19 Grant Hattingh, 20 Deon Stegmann, 21 Rudy Paige, 22 Tian Schoeman, 23 Dries Swanepoel.

Lions: 15 Sylvian Mahuza, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Rohan Janse Van Rensburg, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Francois de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley (captain), 7 Warwick Tecklenburg, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 Julian Redelinghuys, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Dylan Smith.

Replacements: 16 Armand Van Der Merwe, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Jacques Van Rooyen, 19 Ruan Ackermann, 20 Cyle Brink, 21 Ross Cronje, 22 Howard Mnisi, 23 Ashlon Davids.

Referee: Craig Joubert

Assistant referees: Marius van der Westhuizen, Cwengile Jadezweni

TMO: Christie du Preez

Lions maul Bulls in trans-Jukskei derby

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