Rampant Lions tear their rivals to shreds

RUGBY/Golden Lions 10 The Lions 74:IT WAS a rout, pure and simple. The Golden Lions were torn to shreds, hunted the length and breadth of Ellis Park and comprehensively outclassed by a visiting Lions team whose performance was light years removed from the travails of last Saturday

They were facilitated by some brittle tackling, but there was a pace and intensity to the way in which Ian McGeechan’s side played. The crucial improvement arguably was the fact that they didn’t make the number of handling errors and were not guilty of anything like the number of turnovers.

This allowed them the continuity of going through phase after phase which first stretched and then sundered the home defence. It was an excellent team display, the foundation of which was laid by a hard-working eight in which Alun Wyn-Jones, and the backrow trio of Tom Croft, David Wallace and Jamie Heaslip were excellent as a unit. Heaslip in particular was outstanding.

The back line collectively and individually were very polished, offering an innate understanding of each other’s running lines. The entire three-quarter line excelled, with Jamie Roberts probably just pipping Tommy Bowe to the man-of-the-match award.

Brian O’Driscoll looked sharp, while Rob Kearney was the epitome of quiet efficiency at fullback. There will be more challenging days ahead, but on the night the Lions gave an inkling of the team they could become.

Their first-half performance was a homily to dynamism, an offloading game, sumptuous lines of running and athleticism. They played the game at a high tempo, cleverly using soft inside shoulders in putting players into holes with well timed inside passes. The home defence came up hard on the outside but the holes were punched by Bowe and Ugo Monye coming off the blindside wing.

Bowe may not have bagged a try himself in that period but he was the catalyst for several, including giving a beautifully flighted scoring pass to Monye.

The centre partnership of Roberts and O’Driscoll discovered instant on-pitch empathy, working well as a combination and embellishing it with some excellent individual cameos.

The pair combined superbly on six minutes, O’Driscoll stepping inside the first defender and getting his pass away when tackled allowing his midfield partner to muscle his way over. Stephen Jones converted, as he would do again on 14 minutes. Bowe provided the midfield thrust before linking with O’Driscoll who scampered inside the last tackler.

The tourists’ backline were being given a wonderful platform by their pack, the backrow of Croft, Wallace and Heaslip rampaging in the loose. The tight five were equally impressive in carrying ball and clearing out at rucks. Welsh secondrow Wyn-Jones was especially conspicuous around the pitch.

The Lions were ripping holes in the home defence almost at will and threatened a landslide of points. On two occasions during the half they were penalised within a few metres of the home line and Roberts was held up in touch and goal.

Stephen Jones swapped penalties with his opposite number, Andre Pretorius, before the touring Lions cut a swathe through their opponents again. Roberts made another muscular break, Bowe supported and fired a sumptuous long pass that allowed Monye to cross in the corner.

Jones missed for the only time in the half but, the visitors were soon coursing their opponents. Nathan Hines won a turnover at a ruck, Bowe contributed his umpteenth offload and Croft galloped under the posts.

The home side finally managed to give their supporters in a crowd of 22,212 something about which to cheer when replacement fullback Shandre Frolick went over after good work by scrumhalf Jano Vermaak. Pretorius converted.

But the Lions hadn’t quite gorged themselves enough and managed another try that would have ensured the half-time oranges tasted even sweeter. It started when Heaslip took a quick tap penalty and culminated with Roberts barging over for his second try. Jones’ conversion saw the visitors turn leading 39-10.

Ian McGeechan’s team continued to dominate after the interval, combining beautifully at times, backs and forwards. Bowe received his reward for his selflessness in the first half when he scored seven minutes after the restart. O’Driscoll demonstrated soft hands to hit Jones on the loop before Kearney took a well judged inside line making 20 metres and bringing play inside the home side’s 22. From the ruck Jones’ flick pass put Bowe over in the corner. Bowe registered his second by virtue of an intercept as the home side crumbled.

The visitors finished the game with 14 players as Moyne picked up a minor niggle and could afford to come off at that point but not before he claimed a second try, with Bowe – he had moved to outside centre after O’Driscoll went off – providing the scoring pass.

James Hook, a second-half replacement for Jones, helped himself to an intercept try, converted it, and with the game in injury time he posted his second conversion following a 75-metre sprint by Ireland’s Stephen Ferris.

SCORING SEQUENCE: 10 mins: Roberts try, S Jones conversion, 0-7; 14: O’Driscoll try, S Jones conversion, 0-14; 17: S Jones penalty, 0-17; 19: Pretorius penalty, 3-17; 24: S Jones penalty, 3-20; 27: Monye try, 3-25; 36: Croft try, S Jones conversion, 3-32; 40 (+2): Frolick try, Pretorius conversions, 10-32; 40(+6): Roberts try, S Jones conversion, 10-39. Half-time: 10-39. 47: Bowe try, S Jones conversion, 10-46; 58: Bowe try, S Jones conversion, 10-53; 71: Monye try, Hook conversion, 10-60; 76: Hook try, Hook conversion, 10-67; 84: Ferris try, Hook conversion, 10-74.

GOLDEN LIONS: L Ludik; M Killian, J Boshoff, D la Grange, D Noble; A Pretorius, J Vermaak; L Sephaka, W Wepener, G Muller; B Mockford, W Stoltz; C Grobbelaar, F van der Merwe, W Alberts. Replacements: E Joubert for Stolz (6-15 mins); S Frolick for Ludik (6 mins); T Clever for Mockford (40+2 mins); J Van Rensburg for Sephaka; W Venter for Boshoff (both 49 mins); E Joubert for Stoltz, E Reynecke for Muller (both 56 mins); C Jonck for Vermaak 68 mins.

THE LIONS: R Kearney (Ireland); T Bowe (Ireland), B O’Driscoll (Ireland, capt), J Roberts (Wales), U Monye (England); S Jones (Wales), M Phillips (Wales); G Jenkins (Wales), L Mears (England), P Vickery (England); N Hines (Scotland), A Wyn-Jones (Wales); T Croft (England), D Wallace (Ireland), J Heaslip (Ireland). Replacements: S Ferris (Ireland) for Wallace (48 mins); J Hook (Wales) for Roberts (53 mins); S Williams (Wales) for O’Driscoll (60 mins); H Ellis (England) for S Jones (63 mins); A Powell (Wales) for Croft; R Ford (Scotland) for Mears; E Murray (Scotland) for Vickery (all 67 mins).

Referee: C Joubert (South Africa).