Veteran wing John Daniels scored a brace of tries as the Lions downed Western Province 24-20 in their Vodacom Cup match at Newlands on Saturday.
Daniels touched down twice in the first half to give the Lions a comfortable 21-7 lead at the break. The final score line may suggest it was a close-fought affair, but the tries that brought WP within one score — by centre Morgan Newman and replacement prop Gerrit Dyman — were both scored in the last 10 minutes.
In truth, this was a dominant performance by the Lions in every area and they outplayed a Western Province pack that included Springboks Hendrik Gerber and Gerrie Britz.
Lions hooker Ethienne Reynecke was a dynamic performer, while the evergreen Daniels showed there’s plenty of life left in his legs.
Bulls trampled
Meanwhile, the Wildebeest produced one of the biggest upsets of this year’s Vodacom Cup when they beat the Blue Bulls in the second round on Saturday.
The KwaZulu-Natal team continued their great early-season form by beating the visitors 22-13 in Durban, claiming their second win in as many matches.
Trailing 13-5 at the break, the Wildebeest made the Blue Bulls pay for some indifferent defence in the second half.
In the weekend’s other matches, the Griffons beat the Border Bulldogs 60-10 at the North West Stadium after leading 22-5 at half-time.
At Outeniqua Park, the Falcons outplayed the Eagles for a 38-6, with the hosts suffering their second straight loss of this year’s competition. — Sapa