Vodacom Super Rugby
Cheetahs lash Lions
2011-05-06 21:18
Sias Ebersohn (Gallo Images)
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Johanneburg - The Cheetahs pounced on
every mistake the Lions made to walk away 53-19 victors in their Super
Rugby contest on Friday evening.
This marked the
second consecutive win for the men from Bloemfontein while their hosts
will go on tour with seven straight losses behind them.
Although the score line may tell a different story, the Lions defence held up well in the opening stages of the match.
Some frantic tackling denied the visitors from scoring on three occasions.
The
Cheetahs were content to take the numerous penalties on offer and on
that front young Sias Ebersohn couldn't put a foot wrong all night.
As
the match progressed the Lions defence -- for the first time this
season -- started to resemble that of the team which went through the
2010 season without a win.
The loss also marked the two-year anniversary of the last time the Lions managed to secure a Super Rugby win at home.
Unlike
in their previous two contest, the Cheetahs showed they can be a solid
defensive unit, which will be important in their next fixture against
the Crusaders in Bloemfontein.
One of the standout players for the visitors was flyhalf Ebersohn who kicked a perfect 10 out of 10.
Centre Corne Uys also shone with two tries, and the other three came courtsey of fullback Riaan Viljoen.
Skipper
Adriaan Strauss again led from the front and showed why he is being
considered to play for the Springboks in the World Cup later this year.
Another
form of encouragement for the national coach was that flanker Heinrich
Brussow lifted his performance another notch which means he could be
back to his best form heading into the global showpiece in September.
The
hosts fought back in the last 15 minutes of the match, but by then the
Cheetahs had already sent on their replacements who had little more than
defence practice against an inferior team.
Scorers:
Lions 19 (7): Tries: Josh Strauss, Michael Rhodes, Martin Bezuidenhout. Conversions: Burton Francis (2)
Cheetahs 53 (29): Tries: Corne Uys (2), Riaan Viljoen (3). Conversions: Sias Ebersohn (4), Naas Olivier. Penalties: Ebersohn (6)