Springbok winger Ruan Combrinck made a welcome return to the field, scoring a brace as his Emirates Lions side ran riot against their northern neighbours, winning 51-14 in their Vodacom Super Rugby match on Saturday.
Combrinck, who was only drafted into the side shortly before the game when Sylvian Mahuza dropped out with a quad injury, looked like he had never left as he scored within the opening 90 seconds and laid the platform for a Lions victory so big that it will reverberate across the Jukskei in the capital city.
Not only have the Lions underlined the fact they are the best bet for a title run by a South African team this year, they also exposed the fault lines at Loftus Versfeld which go far deeper than the current coaching crisis and how far the Bulls have fallen since the days when Heyneke Meyer and Frans Ludeke coached the side.(Ludeke you must be joking!)
While the result will probably hasten some decisions on the future of the current coaching staff, the way the entire crisis has been handled will also have a massive impact on the way the team has performed with the continued silence and political posturing also costing the team in terms of uncertainty.
News that the Bulls were interviewing coaching candidates a day before this game would hardly have made the task easier, and while coach Nollis Marais may well be closer to the exit because of the results, unless a comprehensive review of all parts of the structure is taken, little will change in the corridors of Loftus.
At Emirates Airline Park however, things are a lot different. Fresh from the confidence of an unbeaten tour of Australia, the Lions were always a step ahead of their opposition. Their line speed, pace of play and intent was on a different level, and it showed as they demolished the Bulls in the first half, before struggling a lot more against some tougher defence in the second.
Johan Ackermann has managed to craft a team out of nothing, has had four years with the side and has a team playing with confidence and pride. The contrast could not have been bigger to see on the field. (AS NOTED BY THE ESTEEMED BEENO. CRAFTED A TEAM OUT OF NOTHING. SO WHY CANT TEH OTHERS DO THE SAME IS THE BIG QUESTION I RAISED ONCE MORE)
To be honest, only three Bulls players can feel like they could be proud of their performance on the evening. Jesse Kriel, Jan Serfontein and Ruan Steenkamp(PLKEQASE NOTE DR MOZZZZZ) played their hearts out, but the performance of the team as a whole was disjointed and without purpose as they slumped to their eighth defeat in 11 matches.
The Lions, on the other hand, are on a high, undefeated now in 14 South African derbies and are riding on a high at the moment that may take them all the way to the final.
From the moment they got the ball, the Bulls defence seemed to be in trouble. Taking the ball wide, Combrinck chipped over the defence and collected to score in the corner. There couldn’t have been a more emphatic return to the field than that.
But the Bulls hit back straight away, taking a coached move with an inside ball to Rabs Maxwane, who sent it to Jan Serfontein who showed a turn of speed to run the ball in under the posts.(PLEASE NOTE DR MOZZZZ)
The Lions kept chipping away with two more penalties by Jantjies taking the score up to 13, before they put the foot down and hammered home their advantage.
Kwagga Smith held up Jannes Kirsten to force a turnover scrum in his own 22, and a minute later scored a try that came from a perfect chip from Elton Jantjies that bounced just right for Courtnal Skosan.
Ruan Dreyer added his name to the scoresheet after a burst by Franco Mostert to give the Lions a massive 27-7 lead before Kriel showed his class by bouncing off both Courtnal Skosan and Smith to score a great individual try.
That was the last good thing the Bulls did on the night however, as minutes later Rudy Paige’s clearance kick from the base was charged down by Warren Whiteley, who went on to score.
On the halftime whistle Combrinck added his second, a much more regulation backline try that had the Bulls defence stretched but left the visitors with a mountain to climb at 39-14 down.
Things got worse shortly after play resumed, with Mostert claiming a try with a solid charge from close range.
At this stage it seemed the massacre could get real ugly for the Bulls but somehow they found resolve on defence to keep the Lions out for most of the half, spoiling where they could and watching the Lions fluff some decent chances as well.
Finally though a turnover ball saw Lionel Mapoe run in for the half century, ending the game on a high for the Lions but leaving so many unanswered questions for the Bulls.
And with the Hurricanes heading to Loftus next week, those fears may turn into nightmares if something isn’t done soon.
Most reasonable people would say the Lions had a good game and I do hope DR Mozzzzzzzzz recovers from this lapse in form! We don't want to make ou rooiwtit look good now do we!
