/ 5 May 1997

SA Super-12 sides fight for the scraps

MONDAY, 11.00AM:

THE Gauteng Lions continued their losing run with a crushing 47-9 hammering at the hands of Waikato on Saturday, all the while keeping up the haemorrhage of players to injury as stand-in skipper Ian Macdonald and centre Japie Mulder fell by the wayside.

The Lions are now left with a rather threadbare side to face Queensland in their next encounter, which they must win if they are to hold out any hope of a semifinal spot.

Natal meanwhile, also dogged by injuries, will meet Northern Transvaal at King’s Park on Saturday, before facing the Lions in their last match. With Auckland, Wellington, and ACT Brumbies apparently lined up for the top three places, the four SA sides will be left to fight among themselves for the last semifinal spot.