WARATAHS ON TOP DESPITE LIONS LOSS
Photo: Etienne Burger
The Waratahs suffered a narrow five-point loss, 27-22, to the Lions at Ellis Park on early Sunday morning AEST, with the bonus point loss margin assisted by three missed penalty goal attempts by Elton Jantjies. The Waratahs retain the top spot on the Australian conference, leading the Brumbies.
THE MATCH
Early attacking play from the home side put the Waratahs on notice, but handling errors under pressure saw their efforts initially thwarted, until the sixth minute when Ruan Combrinck broke through to cross the line. Easily converted by Jantjies, the home side took an early seven point lead.
But the accurate boot of Bernard Foley saw the Waratahs get on the scoreboard within minutes, after The Lions conceded a penalty through Warwick Tecklenburg for being offside at the ruck.
The goal served as a catalyst for the Tahs, with a period of subsequent attacking play yielding a scrambling try for Stephen Hoiles after earlier attempts from Super Rugby centurion Mitchell Chapman and Wycliff Palu. Foley made no mistake, and the visitors took the lead 10-7 in the 19th minute of the match.
A yellow card to Rob Horne for a late tackle saw the Lions seize the opportunity to even the scores, with a brilliant kick from Elton Jantjies 44m out.
A spectacular linebreak from Adam Ashley-Cooper saw the Waratahs gain valuable territory, but the Lions heaped on defensive pressure to ensure that the Waratahs were unable to penetrate. The Lions quickly shifted focus, and Ruan Combrinck was able to burst through the Waratahs’ defence to score a try. Jantjies didn’t miss, and with four minutes left to play in the first half, the Waratahs were down by 17-10.
A late attacking burst from the Waratahs, who played with the advantage for several phases, ended with a penalty goal attempt from Beale. He failed to trouble the scoreboard and the teams headed into the break with the score unchanged at 17-10 to the home side.
A dispiriting start to the second half; with Waratah Jacques Potgieter given a yellow card for foul play and a subsequent penalty goal further extending the lead for the home side. The situation was exacerbated when Harold Vorster burst through the line to score a try in the corner in the 49th minute, with the accuracy of Jantjies once again assisting the Lions to earn the full points on offer.
The Waratahs rallied to hit back via Adam Ashley-Cooper, after a sustained period of phase play gave hope to the visitors. Bernard Foley was unable to slot the conversion, and the gap was narrowed to 12 points with 27 minutes to play.
Rob Horne seized the momentum of the match, with a try shortly after, and Foley neatly slotted the goal to take the score to 27-22 to the Lions.
A scrummaging infringement by the Waratah front row saw the Lions with the opportunity to kick for goal, but an uncharacteristic miss from Jantjies kept their lead at five points. Just minutes later he was given the opportunity to redeem himself, but couldn’t produce in the high pressure situation.
Nick Phipps conceded a penalty after tackling a player without the ball, but the penalty goal was missed yet again by Jantjies who took his missed points tally to nine, with 7 minutes left to play.
The Lions were looking dangerous, with several try attempts thwarted by desperate defence from the Waratahs with just minutes left in the game. A Waratahs scrum feed on their try line saw Nick Phipps burst through to reach the halfway line.
The Waratahs lineout throw with what would be the last play of the match gave agonising hope to the side, until a turnover ended the match, the visitors taking solace in a bonus point loss that would retain their top spot on the ladder.
| Round 16 – Ellis Park, Johannesburg | |
| Lions | 27 |
| Tries | R. Combrinck (6), R. Combrinck (35), H. Vorster (48) |
| Conversions | E. Jantjies (7), E. Jantjies (36), E. Jantjies (48) |
| Penalty Goals | E. Jantjies (29), E. Jantjies (43) |
| Waratahs | 22 |
| Tries | S. Hoiles (19), A. Ashley-Cooper (52), R. Horne (58) |
| Conversions | B. Foley (19), B. Foley (59) |
| Penalty Goals | B. Foley (10) |
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