In a poor advertisement for Currie Cup rugby the Lions overcame a decidedly off colour Cheetahs outfit 31-20 in a patchy encounter played at the Vodacom Park Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Leading 21-13 at the break, the Lions inexplicably failed to use their backs, which in the first half had torn the Cheetahs apart.
That said, the Cheetahs, despite garnering the majority of the possession and territory in the second period, could not capitalise.
The Lions earned a bonus point when man of the match Wayne Julies scored his side’s fourth try in the 47th minute.
The Lions started like a house on fire with left-wing Jorrie Muller picking up two early tries, both converted by Andre Pretorius. The Cheetahs could only respond with a Willem de Waal penalty before Lions captain Wikus van Heerden darted over for a 21-3 lead. A try by the Free State left-wing Trompie Nonshinga and another De Waal penalty gave the hosts a flicker of hope.
The second half turned out to be a shambolic affair with referee Marius Jonker playing no small part in the farce.
The Lions spoiled the Cheetahs breakdown at will and despite several warnings, Jonker failed to produce a deserved card. That spoiled the Cheetahs’ rhythm. The final penalty count tells the story with the Lions being penalised 19 times to the five of the Free State.
For the Cheetahs, Springbok flank Juan Smith played well but he could not do it on his own even though he scored their last try.
Points:
Cheetahs: Tries: Trompie Nontshinga, Juan Smith Conversions: Willem de Waal (1), Meyer Bosman (1) Penalties: Willem de Waal (2)
Lions: Tries: Jorrie Muller (2), Wikus van Heerden, Wayne Julies Conversions: Andre Pretorius (4) Drop-goal: Andre Pretorius (1) – Sapa