Lions win national Sevens title in a great year for their amateur rugby

November 5 – The Golden Lions went one better than last year when they beat the Leopards 35-12 in the final of this year’s Provincial Sevens Championships in East London. The win was the cherry on top for the Golden Lions Rugby Union’s provincial sides that played in all five finals of national amateur competitions this year – the Craven Week, the amateur provincial competition (North), the sub-union competition which they won, the national club championsips and now the Sevens as well.

In 2010 the Lions lost the Provincial Sevens final to the Boland, but this time there was no doubt about their superiority as they beat the Leopards comprehensively in a rather one-sided final. In a tournament dominated by teams from the North Regions Sevens Series the Lions again proved simply too good for the Leopards who were also their toughest opponents in the North Regions competition.

Five of the eight quarter-finalists competed in the North Region Series as did three of the semi-finalists and both finalists – and the tough competition probably primed the northern sides for the provincial competition.

The Lions on Saturday first eliminated last year’s champions Boland Cavaliers in the quarter-final, winning by a conversion, 7-5. In their semi-final the Lions accounted for the Blue Bulls in a tough contest, 26-21.

It was a committed Blue Bulls side that nearly upset the Lions after losing by nearly 40 points in the last North Region final two weeks ago when the Lions clinched that series for the second successive year.

The Leopards beat the Free State 14-5 in the other semi.