Emirates Lions sparkle in derby triumph – Vodacom Super Rugby Round 13 Review
- Mvovo hat-trick guides Durbanites to bonus-point win in Singapore
- DHL Stormers edge Blues with strong second-half performance
Springbok wing Ruan Combrinck scored two tries on his return to Vodacom Super Rugby action to help steer the Emirates Lions to a comprehensive 51-14 derby win over the Vodacom Bulls in their Saturday evening derby in Johannesburg.
Fit-again Combrinck was a late inclusion on the wing for the injured Sylvian Mahuza, and he celebrated his return to action within the opening minutes by scoring the first of the home team’s seven tries. The Highveld team led by 39-14 at halftime and they maintained their dominance in the second half to comfortably clinch their eleventh win of the season so far.
The Cell C Sharks and the DHL Stormers both returned to winning ways. Springbok wing Lwazi Mvovo, playing in the No 15 jersey, scored a hat-trick of tries to steer Robert du Preez’s team to a 38-17 bonus point win over the gritty Sunwolves. The visitors clinched the game thanks to a strong surge deep into the second half, when Mvovo scored twice to secure the tie for his side.
The DHL Stormers staged a gusty comeback to beat the visiting Blues 30-22 in their Friday evening tussle at DHL Newlands, with the positive result also ending a run of four losses for the Cape side. The Blues had a slender 12-10 advantage at halftime, however, Robbie Fleck’s team staged a strong comeback after the break for their second win of the campaign over a New Zealand opponent.
Unfortunately for the Southern Kings, their recent run of wins came to an end in Port Elizabeth where the visiting Brumbies upstaged them by 19-10 to deny them a fourth straight win. The Brumbies dominated possession in the second half to starve the home side.
The Toyota Cheetahs succumbed to a disappointing 61-7 defeat to the Hurricanes in Wellington where Vince Aso scored another hat-trick to better Tana Umaga’s record of 12 tries in a season.
Earlier on Sunday morning, the Waratahs outplayed the Melbourne Rebels 50-23 in their all-Australian affair in Sydney.
After thirteen rounds, the Emirates Lions are the runaway leaders in the second African Conference with 51 points from 12 wins, followed by the Cell C Sharks on 38 points. The DHL Stormers are the Africa Conference 1 leaders on 30 points from their 11 matches so far this season.
Vodacom Super Rugby information (click on the links below for access to the match centre):
FIXTURES AND RESULTS | LOGS| STATS
Southern Kings 10, Brumbies 19
Scores
Southern Kings 10 – Try: Penalty Try; Penalty: Lionel Cronje.
Brumbies 19 – Tries: Josh Mann-Rea, Aidan Toua, Tom Banks; Conversions: Wharenui Hawera (2).
Emirates Lions 51, Vodacom Bulls 14
Scorers
Emirates Lions 51 – Tries: Ruan Combrinck (2), Kwagga Smith, Ruan Dreyer, Warren Whiteley, Franco Mostert, Lionel Mapoe; Conversions: Elton Jantjies (5). Penalties: Jantjies (2).
Vodacom Bulls 14 – Tries: Jan Serfontein, Jesse Kriel; Conversion: Francois Brummer (2).
Sunwolves 17, Cell C Sharks 38
Scorers:
Sunwolves 17 – Tries: Takeshi Hino, Shuhei Matsuhashi; Conversions: Penalty: Jumpei Ogura.
Cell C Sharks 38 – Tries: Lwazi Mvovo (3), Ruan Botha, Sibusiso Nkosi (2); Conversions: Garth April (3), Benhard Janse van Rensburg.
Hurricanes 61, Toyota Cheetahs 7
Scorers
Hurricanes 61- Tries: Vince Aso (3), Vaea Fifita, Ardie Savea, TJ Perenara, Ben Lam, Leni Apisal, Jeff Toomaga-Allen . Conversions: Beauden Barrett (5), Otere Black (3).
Toyota Cheetahs 7 – try: Fred Zeilinga. Conversion: Zeilinga.
DHL Stormers 30, Blues 22
Scorers:
DHL Stormers 30 – Tries: Siya Kolisi, Dillyn Leyds, Sikhumbuzo Notshe; Conversions: SP Marais (3); Penalties: Marais (3).
Blues 22 – Tries: George Moala, James Parsons, Blake Gibson; Conversions: Piers Francis (2); Penalty: Bryn Gatland.
Other Round 13 matches:
Friday, 19 May
Chiefs 24, Crusaders 31
Saturday, 20 May
Western Force 6, Highlanders 55
Sunday, 21 May
Waratahs 50, Melbourne Rebels 23
The latest log positions after Round 13:
Africa Conference 1
| Pos | Teams | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | PTS |
| 1 | DHL Stormers | 11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 347 | 332 | 15 | 43 | 47 | 30 |
| 2 | Vodacom Bulls | 11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 226 | 336 | -110 | 25 | 43 | 15 |
| 3 | Toyota Cheetahs | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 293 | 484 | -191 | 33 | 65 | 11 |
| 4 | Sunwolves | 11 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 238 | 457 | -219 | 29 | 64 | 7 |
Africa Conference 2
| Pos | Teams | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | PTS |
| 1 | Emirates Lions | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 415 | 241 | 174 | 56 | 24 | 51 |
| 2 | Cell C Sharks | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 343 | 256 | 87 | 32 | 29 | 38 |
| 3 | Jaguares | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 287 | 260 | 27 | 33 | 30 | 24 |
| 4 | Southern Kings | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 299 | 335 | -36 | 38 | 42 | 19 |
Australian Conference
| Pos | Teams | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | PTS |
| 1 | Brumbies | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 219 | 217 | 2 | 28 | 26 | 23 |
| 2 | Waratahs | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 299 | 352 | -53 | 40 | 46 | 19 |
| 3 | Reds | 11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 233 | 350 | -117 | 34 | 44 | 16 |
| 4 | Force | 11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 190 | 311 | -121 | 21 | 41 | 13 |
| 5 | Rebels | 11 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 163 | 433 | -270 | 15 | 61 | 8 |
New Zealand Conference
| Pos | Teams | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | PTS |
| 1 | Crusaders | 12 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 456 | 231 | 225 | 65 | 27 | 54 |
| 2 | Hurricanes | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 483 | 201 | 282 | 72 | 22 | 43 |
| 3 | Chiefs | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 326 | 221 | 105 | 42 | 22 | 43 |
| 4 | Highlanders | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 382 | 238 | 144 | 47 | 30 | 41 |
| 5 | Blues | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 354 | 298 | 56 | 46 | 36 | 31 |
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