Hungry Lions maul Scarlets

The Lions secured successive home victories and entrenched themselves in the top five of the United Rugby Championship (URC) with a 32-15 win over the Scarlets at Ellis Park.

On a sweltering day, the Lions were full of fire and brimstone. After seeing off the Dragons, from Wales too, last Sunday for their maiden home win of the season, the Lions made it a clean sweep of victories for the SA franchises this weekend, with the Sharks, Bulls and Stormers also doing the business.

The Scarlets, who came into the clash second-bottom on the standings with one win from eight matches, hardly fired a shot in the first half and were undone by penalties, with a misfiring set-piece and ineffective kicking game. The Lions signalled their attacking intent early on. Five minutes after flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse slotted the opening penalty, winger Rabz Maxwane scored a scintillating try in the 11th minute after leaving three defenders standing with an inside-outside step and a devastating turn of pace, having being set up by Marius Louw with a deft pass.

A notable returnee was former Springbok flank Jaco Kriel, who bolstered the Lions’ back row. Kriel made his first URC appearance of the season after a long injury layoff. He dovetailed well with Emmanuel Tshituka, who has emerged from his brother Vincent’s shadow. Tshituka scored the Lions’ second try off the back of a scrum.

The Scarlets replied with a try from Dan Davis, who broke off a well-set driving maul after sustained attack in the red zone, but the home team took an 18-5 halftime lead.

Both teams started with 14 men in the second stanza, after yellow cards for Sango Xamlashe and Sam Costellow.

In what was a more cagey affair in the second 40, the Lions notched their third try courtesy of Kriel from a well-executed line-out move, only for the Scarlets to hit back through winger Tom Rogers, who took advantage of an overlap.

In the last 10 minutes, Hendrikse was yellow-carded for cynically slapping the ball away. But the Lions kept their cool, with Man of the Match Tshituka registering a brace of tries.

A last-minute five-pointer from Sam Lousi couldn’t take the gloss off a bonus-point win.