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February 28 - The four log points will be welcome, but Golden Lions coach Timmy Goodwin and his assistants still have plenty to work on despite their 27-22 win over the Leopards at the Johannesburg Stadium before they can confidently think of winning the title.
As the score indicates, it was a tough match with not much between the two sides, and seven tries - four to the Leopards, three to the Lions - were scored. The Leopards took two log points from the match.
The basis of a good Lions side is there - and that speaks for itself with the quality of the players in the squad.
However, they will have to be more clinical in their execution and option-taking in future games it they want to get to the top of the Vodacom Cup pile. Too many passes were spilled, and too many wrong options taken for comfort.
Not that the Leopards, a Currie Cup First Division side on the up, are easy prey. They fought back magnificently - and full marks must go to the Lions for sticking to their lead as the Leopards fought back from 27-10 down.
Much of the Lions victory must be attributed to the halfbacks Herkie Kruger and Chris Jonck, while Johan van Deventer’s hard work at the breakdown was also exemplary.
Scorers:
Lions: tries: Justin St jerry, Marius Delport, Johan van Deventer. Conversions: Herkie Kruger (3). Penalties: Kruger (3).
Leopards: Tries: Bom Samaai, Jan van Zyl (2), Deon Scholtz. Conversions: Marcel du Toit
- Last year’s finalists Blue Bulls won a rare Vodacom Cup match in Kimberley.
The Bulls beat defending champions Griquas 22-17 in a match filled with errors and poor decision-making, and generally neither side looked like the best two in the country at this level.
- However, elsewhere the pattern repeated itself, with a new-look Boland under former Lions coach Loffie Eloff showing that they mean business as they beat star-studded title aspirants Western Province 37-28.
Boland scored five tries with many new faces from last year’s strugglers while WP could muster only three.
Watch this Wellington side with a coach who wants to prove his mettle.
- The Namibia Welwitchias’ re-introduction to the competition was not one they will fondly remember and they were beaten 45-26 by the Griffons in Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek. Using the competition to ensure greater competition for their young players, there is obviously much to work on for the Namibian team.
- The Cheetahs beat SWD 23-13 at Saasveld in George with some drama before the kick-off because of a payment dispute between the SWD players and the union. Although the dispute was resolved, their captain Victor Joubert withdrew from the side shortly before the kick-off.
- Pumas are slowly getting the depth together that they’ll need after their promotion to the Currie Cup Premier Division, and they beat the Valke - who seem to be en route to another disastrous season - 54-17 in Witbank.
- The Pampas XV from Argentina kept Eastern Province pinned to their own half and quarter for a large part of the match, but the home side did well to recover against a side with seven Pumas internationals to draw 27-all in Port Elizabeth.
- The Sharks XV’s 69-8 win over the Border Bulldogs again begged the question what was going on in east London and environs. They have the numbers, but somehow the coastal side remains one of the weaker teams in the country.
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