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Jantjies's boot sinks Sharks

Johannesburg - The Lions retained their status as the Absa Currie Cup’s pace setting steam by securing a 28-19 victory over the Sharks at Coca-Cola Park on Saturday.

Another magnificent performance by flyhalf Elton Jantjies, who contributed 23 of his team’s points with the boot, left the Sharks dumbstruck.

The young pivot not only kicked well from hand, he also ran outstanding lines on attack and was no slouch in defence either.

Although the match started at a frantic pace, both sides were guilty of making too many unforced errors with the Sharks coming of worse because of ill-discipline at the tackle area.

That gave Jantjies the opportunity to give his side a 6-0 lead through two quick penalty conversions.

The Sharks were, however, not misled by the scoreboard and were quick to get back inside Lions territory.

The coastal side’s dominance at the scrums earned them their first points though flyhalf Frederic Michalak, who kicked two penalties to level matters at 6-all.

That specific set phase continued to be an area of concern for the Johannesburg squad for most of the match.

The first try came in the 20th minute when centre Lionel Mapoe finished off a passage of play during which Jantjies’s brilliance was the main thing separating the two sides.

The pivot not only delivered a pin point kick-off that ensured his side regained possession, he also cut through the Sharks backline with the greatest of ease.

One of the highlights of the first half involved Lions prop Patric Cilliers who made a thumping tackle on the Sharks’ Louis Ludik near the halfway line.

Cilliers, a former Sharks player, was one of the stand-out performers for the Lions on the night.

Jantjies converted his fourth penalty just before the break and this ensured his team enjoyed a 10 point lead with 40 minutes left to play.

After testing the home side’s defence for a prolonged period, the Sharks finally managed to get over the try-line in the 60th minute when Stefan Terblanche took advantage of a quick-tap penalty taken by Michalak.

Leading up to that, Springbok Jean Deysel made his presence felt by barging over a few defenders although the Sharks coaching team would have expected more from his bench.

Prior to the important five-pointer, the Lions had extended their lead to 25-9 as Jantjies simply couldn’t put a foot wrong.

A long range penalty conversion by Meyer Bosman brought the men from Durban even closer and with 10 minutes left to play they were well within striking distance as the score was 25-19.

Jantjies, however, had other ideas and nailed seventh and final kick to seal the deal.

Scorers:

Lions:

Try: Lionel Mapoe

Conversion: Elton Jantjies

Penalties: Jantjies (7)

Sharks:

Try: Stefan Terblanche

Conversion: Frederic Michalak

Penalties: Michalak (3)
Meyer Bosman

Teams:

Golden Lions: 15 Jaco Taute, 14 Deon van Rensburg, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Alwyn Hollenbach, 11 Michael Killian, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Derick Minnie, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar (captain), 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Wikus van Heerden, 3 Patric Cilliers, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg

Substitutes: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Jacobie Adriaanse, 18 Johan Snyman, 19 Michael Rhodes, 20 Jaco Kriel, 21 Doppies La Grange, 22 Burton Francis

Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik 14 Sibusiso Sithole 13 Stefan Terblanche 12 Meyer Bosman 11 Lwazi Mvovo 10 Frederic Michalak 9 Charl McLeod 8 Ryan Kankowski 7 Marcell Coetzee 6 Keegan Daniel (captain) 5 Ross Skeate 4 Anton Bresler 3 Wiehahn Herbst 2 Craig Burden 1 Dale Chadwick

Substitutes: 16 Kyle Cooper 17 Eugene van Staden 18 Jan Andre Marais 19 Jean Deysel 20 Jacques Botes 21 Conrad Hoffmann 22 Adrian Jacobs

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