Cape Town – A full-strength Lions Currie Cup battled past a determined Western Province, but managed to score four tries for the bonus point in their Currie Cup victory of 32-12 on Friday in Athlone.
When their star winger Edwill van der Merwe scored the first of his two tries straight after kick-off, it looked like it was going to be a long night at the Athlone Stadium for the home side's youngsters.
Van der Merwe went over untouched after the Lions found plenty of gaps in the rush defence of Province that they happily exploited for the game's first points. The ball went through the hands of the backline, before the leftwinger ran onto a pass to go over untouched.
But WP kept their opponents, who were stacked with players that featured in the United Rugby Championship this year, honest, and the Lions pack especially struggled to find their feet in the scrums.
It was not because the pitch gave way under them, but more because the young props of WP, Kwenzo Blose and Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, gave their counterparts headaches in the scrum. Province won plenty of penalties with their scrummaging, but failed to really take advantage of it.
WP responded to the Van der Merwe score with a winger try of their own when right wing Mnombo Zwelinaba crossed in the corner after sustained pressure by his pack of forwards on the Lions' defence.
Van der Merwe's second score, while Province dominated, swung momentum in the visitor's favour again, while a penalty by scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba saw them extend their lead to 15-5.
Shortly before halftime, the Lions were under the pump on their try line again when prop Ruan Dreyer was sent to the sin bin for a cynical infringement under his posts.
As a result of Dreyer's binning, with his team a man down, the home side's scrum walked with them a couple of times before referee AJ Jacobs decided enough is enough and awarded a penalty try to WP which ended the half with the score 15-12.
The home side, with the vocal crowd behind them, started the second half where they left off at the end of the first.
They milked penalties and put the Lions under massive pressure which the visitors managed to absorb to their credit. They defended their try line massively and although they were mostly under pressure at the scrum, they caught the WP guys unawares a couple of times to overpower them on their own ball.
Those vital scrum wins, by the calm heads of the more experienced Lions pack, saved their team in the second half.
And every time WP left their half with no points, it was a small win for the Lions' defence.
The game was in the balance until two Nohamba penalties and a try by flanker Ruan Venter took the game away from the home team.
Province still attacked until the final whistle but failed to penetrate the defence for any points in the second half.
A late try by Venter, his second one, secured a vital bonus point for the Lions as they try to haul in WP on the Currie Cup log.
Point-scorers
Western Province 12 – Tries: Mnombo Zwelindaba, Penalty try.
Lions 32 – Tries: Edwill van der Merwe (2), Ruan Venter (2). Conversions: Sanele Nohamba (3). Penalties: Nohamba (2).
IOL Sport