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the Lions overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half to beat Western Province 22-19 in their Currie Cup meet at Ellis Park on Saturday night.
Johannesburg’s men trailed 19-9 with less than 30 minutes to go, but they put up an impressive fight to deny their Cape visitors to death.
HOW IT HAPPENED | Lions 22-19 WP
Fullback lions Tian swanepoel was the hero of his team, taking a penalty at the edge of full time to snatch the victory.
Swanepoel proved valuable with his prodigious boot, and he also took a pair of long-range penalties to keep his team in the race in the early exchanges.
Good start for WP
Western Province took the lead in the seventh minute thanks to a penalty from Tim Swiel from half overhead.
Lions center Elton Jantjies had a chance to level things out, but missed a relatively easy penalty attempt in the 11th minute.
Swiel then missed an opportunity to extend WP’s lead when he missed a long-range kick from 55 meters.
The visitors completely dominated at the time of the scrum, but were punished somewhat strangely in this department in the 18th minute. Swanepoel then stepped forward to place a monstrous penalty from 61 meters to put his team on the board ( 3-3).
Shortly after, in the 23rd minute, WP regained the lead when Swiel hit off the tee; it came after another dominant scrum threw a penalty.
But the Lions were back on level just before the half-hour mark when Swanepoel stepped up to fit in another long-range effort, this time from about 45 yards (6-6).
The hosts nearly scored the game’s first try in the 34th minute after a rise on the WP try line, but the away team’s No.8 Juarno Augustus saved the day he won a vital penalty on the ground.
The Lions were pinged into ruck time in the 38th minute, with Swiel stepping forward to lay down an easy penalty and give WP a 9-6 lead before the half-time break.
At the beginning of the second verse, the Lions fell to the ground again. Swiel converted from about 35 yards to give his team a 12-6 lead after 42 minutes.
In the 46th minute, Swanepoel, who had already taken over Jantjies’ shot on goal, again took a penalty from long range. He was 57 meters away, and while his effort took his legs, he pulled slightly to the left.
But soon after the hosts had another penalty attempt when the visitors were caught offside. This time Swanepoel succeeded from close range to put his team within three points (9-12) at the 50 minute mark.
Two minutes later, WP scored the first try of the game when winger Seabelo Senatla appeared next to the studs. Senatla had started the movement with a break from within its own half. Ruhan Nel was unloaded to center, who dived over the touchline before unloading again the sprinter who stumbled in.
Swiel made the conversion to give WP a 19-9 lead after 53 minutes.
The lions make their way back
But from this period on, the home team took control as the Cape’s men apparently ran out of puffs in the thin Highveld air.
The Lions kept testing and got back into attacking range when Swanepoel converted another long-range attempt in the 68th minute (12-19).
The hosts got a new lease of life in the final 10 minutes and tied when winger Stean Pienaar caught WP taking a nap with a sniper break after taking a quick touch inside the red zone.
The easy conversion attempt saw the sides tie with nine minutes to go.
At this stage, there was only one team in the park as the Lions launched attack after attack. And his stamina was rewarded with a minute left to play when WP was caught offside in front of the studs.
Swanepoel duly stepped forward to kick the penalty and give his team a last-gasp victory.
Scorers:
Lions 22 (6)
Test: Stean Pienaar
Conversion: Elton Jantjies
Penalties: Tiaan Swanepoel (5)
Western Province 19 (9)
Test: Seabelo Senatla
Conversion: Tim Swiel
Penalties: Swiel (4)
Equipment:
Lions
15 Tiaan Swanepoel, 14 Stean Pienaar, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies (captain), 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Len Massyn, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Willem Alberts , 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Sti Sithole
Substitutes: 16 Jan-Henning Campher, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Wiehahn Herbst, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 21 Roelof Smit, 22 Morne van den Berg, 23 Dan Kriel
Western Province
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Tim Swiel, 9 Godlen Masimla, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Ernst van Rhyn, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Salmaaan Moerat, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Substitutes: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 David Meihuizen, 20 Marcel Theunissen, 21 Johan du Toit, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Tristan Leyds
