Lions' revival gathers steam as Bulls shocked at Loftus Versfeld in lively URC derby

The Lions’ resurgence continued at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon as they overpowered a rusty Bulls side 43-33 in an entertaining United Rugby Championship clash.

The visitors proved that their superb performance in beating Ulster before the November international break was no flash in the pan, crossing for six impressive tries to the Bulls’ five.

The Bulls were without key scrummaging weapons Wilco Louw, Gerhard Steenekamp and Johan Grobbelaar, not to mention industrious Ruan Nortje, and their absence was keenly felt.

At the start of the match, the Lions absorbed ten minutes of intense pressure before taking an against-the-run-of-play lead courtesy of a Chris Smith penalty. The lead grew to 10-0 as the first quarter ended, with the Lions’ backs exploiting sloppy play from the Bulls’ backline around the halfway line.

It wasn’t the first time a backline move had broken down due to an errant pass. The Lions hacked the ball upfield to the tryline, and wing Kelly Mpeku raced to score. In the first 30 minutes alone, the Bulls committed nine handling errors.

The Lions were on fire when Smith slipped through the defence following an excellent turnover at a ruck by veteran lock Etienne Oosthuizen. Slick forward interplay then allowed scrumhalf Nico Steyn to dot down for a try.

The Bulls struck back brilliantly at the halfway mark thanks to their standout player, Sebastian de Klerk. He wrong-footed a defender near halfway, sprinted down the touchline, and passed inside to Embrose Papier for the score.

The Bulls were back in it at 17-14 after Papier scored a similar try, this time assisted by left wing Stavino Jacobs.

The Lions responded with more slick work from Smith, who nudged the ball through the defence in the Bulls’ 22. The bounce fell perfectly for flank Jarod Cairns to gather and crash over. Smith missed the conversion.

An entertaining first half ended with the Bulls narrowing the gap. Willie le Roux punted a penalty to the corner, and the forwards executed the lineout perfectly, with Akker van der Merwe scoring off the maul. Keagan Johannes missed the conversion, leaving the Lions 22-19 in front at the break.

Early in the second half, the Bulls were twice held up over the tryline as their set piece found rhythm, but the dogged Lions hung in.

Mirroring the start of the game, the Lions absorbed ten minutes of pressure in their 22 before moving to the other end, aided by an exceptional 50-22 kick by Bronson Mills. They scored a maul try through Oosthuizen, with Smith slotting the touchline conversion for a 29-19 lead.

Elrigh Louw was introduced in the 60th minute to a loud cheer from the Loftus Faithful, and his contribution was eagerly anticipated in his comeback appearance.

However, it was the Lions who found another gear in the final quarter. Replacement wing Eduan Keyter blasted over, and Steyn added his second try.

The never-say-die Bulls salvaged some pride with a late flurry, with De Klerk and Johannes scoring, but the Lions held on for a memorable 43-33 win.