The Lions and the Sharks came out on top in their local United Rugby Championship derbies against the Stormers and the Bulls on Saturday.
There was everything to play for in Round 11. While the Bulls and the Sharks battled it out to move towards a top-two spot, the Lions and Stormers aimed to sneak closer to the top eight.
Second derby loss in a row for Stormers
An error-ridden display by the Stormers saw the Lions end their six-match losing streak against the Cape side to claim a 30-23 URC victory at Ellis Park.
Flyhalf Gianni Lombard kicked 15 points as the Lions beat the Stormers for the first time in five years at Ellis Park.
The win also saw the Lions avenge their 10-29 December defeat to the Stormers as they scored three first-half tries, while the Stormers ran in two after the break.
Lions lead the dance of the desperates in Johannesburg
Going into the game, the Stormers were 11th on the log, while the Lions were in 14th position.
The first points came in the 13th minute when the Stormers went one man down with Warrick Gelant copping a yellow card for cynical play at the ruck in their red zone. Lombard connected the penalty to put the Lions 3-0 ahead.
The Stormers leveled the scores when flyhalf Jurie Matthee – who struggled with his attempts at the uprights against the Bulls – kicked over a penalty (3-3).
Quan Horn shines in statement performance
Twenty-three-year-old fullback Quan Horn was a key figure in the Lions’ superb first-half display. He shined on attack as the home team cut the Stormers to shreds, setting up the opening try for Morne van den Berg with a brilliant break, before backing him up with top support play (10-3). He was also influential on defence and won a crucial breakdown turnover.
Stormers continuously exposed on defence
The Stormers defenders were exposed as the Lions bossed the outside channel again and were rewarded for their beautiful display of running rugby when Henco van Wyk got their second converted try (17-3) shortly afterwards.
The visitors blew a promising chance of getting on the try-scorers sheet when loose forward Ben-Jason Dixon spilled the ball on the wing. Aside from that blunder, the Stormers just struggled to get continuity on attack, while the Lions were the opposite, with their top-quality offloads, inside passes and support play.
All the Stormers had to show for their average effort in the first half was two penalties by Matthee.
Ivan van Rooyen’s side orchestrated another stunner of a try when Edwill van der Merwe put in a well-executed dink over the top, with Marius Louw gathering for a third converted try (24-6).
The Stormers got a much-needed try after the break after a bit of individual brilliance by Gelant saw them move into double digits.
The fullback fooled the Lions with two dummies and glided through defenders to grab the visitors’ first try (24-13).
While the Stormers were an improved outfit after half time, the Lions put more distance between the scores with two penalty conversions by Lombard in the third quarter (30-13).
Stormers’ error-ridden performance cost them
The Stormers had the upper hand in most areas in the second half but made just too many handling errors. This lack of accuracy prevented them from capitalising on the chances they had. Their finishing was one of their biggest problems as they strung together good opportunities but had very little to show for it as those last passes went astray. The fact that they dominated territory and possession, but didn't have much to show for it, was also telling. The one area the Stormers can be chuffed with, however, is their lineout.
Calling it a problematic area is an understatement, but John Dobson’s group didn’t misfire at the set-piece against the Lions.
The Stormers were granted an opportunity to close the gap on the scoreboard with their numerical advantage after Richard Kriel was sin-binned for a deliberate knock down.
Evan Roos was a standout with ball-in-hand throughout the game, so it was fitting that he was the one to cross over for the Stormers’ second try. Those untidy passes that had cost the Stormers until that point sneaked in again when Matthee gave a poor one, but Gelant cleaned up well to put Roos away for the try that made it a 10-point game (30-20).
Matthee slotted a penalty in the 81st minute to take the score to 30-23 and ensure that the Stormers get something out of the match. But the damage had been done as the Stormers’ errors ultimately cost them.
Sharks secure bonus-point with strong second-half showing
The Sharks produced a superb second half to earn a 29-19 win over the Bulls at Loftus.
While the first half was a tight one (10-7 for the visitors), the Sharks took complete control in the second half and scored three tries in a row to come out on top.
The hosts – after dominating the scrums against the Stormers and the Lions – again showed their power up front.
The Sharks are fourth on the points table, while the Bulls are in third position.
Yellow cards didn’t drown Sharks
Despite being down to 12 men at one stage as Jason Jenkins, Corne Rahl, and Ntuthuko Mchunu were all sent to the sin bin, the Bulls couldn’t get the better of the Sharks.
It didn’t matter much, though, as the Sharks completely ran away with the game in the second half.
The Bulls scored the opener through Jan-Hendrik Wessels, who scored under the posts after a solid offload from Marco van Staden.
The Sharks returned the favour five minutes later when Ethan Hooker crossed over.
The home side scored a try courtesy of Johan Grobbelaar from a driving maul early in the second half to take a 12-10 lead.
The Sharks, however, gained the lead when Jordan Hendrikse finished off a fine counter-attack to score in the 55th minute. Tinotenda Mavesere extended their points advantage with his first try for the Sharks. Flyhalf Siya Masuku converted to take the score to 22–12.
Masuku, who missed out on the Springbok alignment camp, was a standout as he was involved in everything the Sharks did well.
His try-assist to Hooker was a prime example, while his kicking game was absolutely brilliant.
The Sharks increased the margin when Yaw Penxe scored to make it 27-12 eight minutes from time. In the 78th minute, the visitors delivered the final blow with another Grobbelaar try.
Sharks front-row injury concerns
The impressive win came at a cost as Trevor Nyakane and Bongi Mbonambi both came off in the first half.
Nyakane could be in for a significant spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury early on, while Mbonambi took a blow to the knee and later to the head, which saw him withdrawn for a HIA.
