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Commentary by Sport24's Herman Mostert
Follow on @herman_mostert or send suggestions to: herman.mostert@sa.24.com
KEY STATS
Metres run: Lions 568-507 Rebels
Carries: Lions 111-113 Rebels
Defenders beaten: Lions 17-17 Rebels
Clean breaks: Lions 5-3 Rebels
Tackles made: Lions 104-98 Rebels
Tackles missed: Lions 17-17 Rebels
Turnovers won: Lions 9-6 Rebels
Kicks in play: Lions 27-23 Rebels
Rucks won: Lions 62-67 Rebels
Rucks lost: Lions 4-5 Rebels
Mauls won: Lions 6-5 Rebels
Lineouts won: Lions 13-11 Rebels
Lineouts lost: Lions 1-2 Rebels
Scrums won: Lions 7-8 Rebels
Scrums lost: Lions 1-0 Rebels
Penalties conceded: Lions 5-13 Rebels
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH
Lions flank Warwick Tecklenburg received the best player award.
PICTURE
Lions flank Jaco Kriel proves a tough man to stop... (Gallo Images)
Thanks for tuning in! In next week's action, the Lions host the Cheetahs at Ellis Park, while the Rebels face the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.
Be sure to also follow Sport24's LIVE UPDATES for tomorrow's South African Super Rugby games.
The Stormers tackle the Bulls at Newlands (17:05) and the Cheetahs host the Sharks at the Free State Stadium (19:10).
FULL-TIME: Lions 34-17 Rebels
A super final quarter in this game has given the Lions their sixth Super Rugby win of the season!
80'- It's a bit messy at the end as the game ends with both teams knocking it on...
79'- Lions replacement prop Corne Fourie drops the ball in the corner with the tryline begging, but the referee goes back for a penalty...
78'- The Lions have a scrum inside the Rebels 22m area as the clock winds down...
Before the scrum can take place, Rebels centre Mitch Inman is taken off on a buggy after taking a big knock. Scrumhalf Luke Burgess must now come back on to replace him...
76'- A bustling run from Minnie puts the Lions back on attack, hunting a bonus point try...
PICTURE
Lions centre Alwyn Hollenback on the charge... (Gallo Images)
71'- Boshoff slots the CONVERSION.
Lions 34-17 Rebels
70'- TRY to the Lions!
Lions skipper Warren Whiteley barges over after a concerted period of attack. It started from a five metre lineout set up by the hosts...
69'- YELLOW CARD
Scott Higginbotham is off for 10 minutes for not bringing Britz down safely. He didn't tip him completely, so a yellow card - and not red - was the right call.
69'- TMO CALL
The Rebels skipper could be sent off here for a tip tackle on Willie Britz. The TMO must decide...
68'- More replacements by the Lions, with Faf de Klerk and Elton Jantjies also on now. Volmink and Cronje replaced.
Boshoff has moved to fullback and Van Wyk to wing, with Jantjies and De Klerk now the halfbacks...
67'- Derick Minnie has replaced Jaco Kriel at flank for the Lions.
66'- PENALTY slotted by Boshoff.
Lions 27-17 Rebels
65'- Another kickable penalty to the home side. This time it's on halfway. Willie Britz did well to win a penalty on the ground there...
64'- PENALTY slotted by Boshoff.
Lions 24-17 Rebels
63'- Penalty in range for the Lions and Boshoff will step up. It's about 30m out, 20m in-field...
61'- NO TRY!
TMO Johan Greeff determines Van der Merwe used his legs to illegally propel himself forward and over the line. Correct decision. It was a double movement.
61'- TRY OR NO TRY?
Replacement Lions hooker Armand van der Merwe intercepts and sprints 60m down-field. He is tackled just short, but goes over. But was it a double movement?
60'- The Lions are being pretty stupid here at times as they constantly want to take a quick tap following penalties inside their own half. It has put them under pressure on two occasions now...
60'- Armand van der Merwe on at hooker for the Lions, replacing Robbie Coetzee.
59'- Nic Stirzaker is now on at scrumhalf for the Rebels, replacing Luke Burgess.
Pat Leafa also on at hooker for Shota Horie.
58'- Boshoff CONVERTS to put the Lions back in front.
Lions 21-17 Rebels.
57'- TRY to the Lions!
After concerted period of attack, powerful flank Warwick Tecklenburg barges over under the posts.
55'- The Lions win a turnover and launch a counter-attack from inside their own 22m area...
They surge up into the Rebels 22m area...
55'- Rebels winger Tom English makes a fool of himself as he dives over what he thinks is the tryline. Unfortunately for him, he's still five metres short! At least he's having a chuckle himself...
54'- It's all the Rebels now as they attack inside the Lions 22m area again...
53'- CONVERSION by Debreczeni.
Lions 14-17 Rebels
51'- TRY to the Rebels!
Colby Fainga'a barges over after a dominant driving maul from a lineout by the visitors. They opted for touch and not for goal from the previous penalty.
50'- After a concerted period of attack, Rebels captain Scott Higginbotham goes over in the corner. but again he is tackled out...
The Rebels still get a penalty though after Hollenbach is penalised for tackling a man without the ball.
49'- Rebels prop Toby Smith is off, replaced by Cruze Ah-Nau.
49'- CHANCE! Stokkies Hanekom almost intercepts a Rebels pass inside his own half. It's his second knock of the night. Both those were try-scoring chances. Yes, the latter chance was 60m out, but he had nobody in front of him...
47'- Jason Woodward has replaced Tom Kingston at wing for the Rebels.
45'- Boshoff misses with his second attempt of the evening as his kick is away to the left...
44'- Rebels prop Laurie Weeks is penalised at scrum time. Boshoff will line up from just inside the Rebels half...
TWEET
Anthony Volmink, the Lions' left winger, has some serious gas... We can't give him any space! - Melbourne Rebels
41'- A good start to the half for the Lions as captain Whiteley steals a Rebels lineout...
41'- Jordy Read is also on at flank for the Rebels, replacing Scott Fuglistaller.
20:10 - Rebels fullback Debreczeni starts the second period...
20:08 - Welcome back for the second half. The Lions have brought on Ruan Dreyer for Julian Redelinghuys at prop.
FIRST HALF STATS
Metres run: Lions 184-266 Rebels
Carries: Lions 42-47 Rebels
Defenders beaten: Lions 7-10 Rebels
Clean breaks: Lions 1-3 Rebels
Tackles made: Lions 46-43 Rebels
Tackles missed: Lions 10-7 Rebels
Turnovers won: Lions 4-4 Rebels
Kicks in play: Lions 15-10 Rebels
Rucks won: Lions 26-28 Rebels
Rucks lost: Lions 2-2 Rebels
Mauls won: Lions 4-2 Rebels
Lineouts won: Lions 7-6 Rebels
Lineouts lost: Lions 0-1 Rebels
Scrums won: Lions 5-4 Rebels
Scrums lost: Lions 1-0 Rebels
Penalties conceded: Lions 3-5 Rebels
HALF-TIME: Lions 14-10 Rebels
38'- Franco van der Merwe cannot hold out until the break and is replaced by Willie Britz. Big blow for the Lions!
38'- PENALTY slotted by Boshoff.
Lions 14-10 Rebels
37'- Kickable penalty for the Lions after Bryce Hegarty is penalised for not rolling away in the tackle area. Boshoff to line up from in front, about 35m out...
36'- Lions lock Franco van der Merwe is not well. He seems to have a shoulder injury. Perhaps he can hold out until half-time...
33' - This time Debreczeni makes no mistake with his easy PENALTY attempt.
Lions 11-10 Rebels
33'- The Rebels win a kickable penalty from in front and referee Jaco Peyer gives the Lions an official warning. He says they transgressed three times in one move... So the next time that happens in the red zone, expect a yellow card.
32'- The Rebels seem to have sorted out their early scrum woes. It looks more 50/50 in that department now...
30'- PENALTY slotted by Boshoff.
Lions 11-7 Rebels
29'- The Lions win a kickable penalty when Colby Fainga'a is perhaps harshly penalised at a ruck. He looked on his feet there and was the first man at the ruck...
But Boshoff will line up from close to the touchline...
28'- It has been confirmed that Lions wing Van Rensburg had popped a rib cartilage! Ouch!
27'- Oh dear, from almost in front, Debreczeni misses with his penalty attempt and the Lions are off the hook. He could almost have thrown that one over...
26'- Good defence by the Lions sees them win a turnover, but they then concede a penalty at the ensuing scrum. This should bring up an easy three points for the visitors...
24'- Another strong run from big winger Tom English puts the Rebels back in the red zone...
My word, that English try was a 14-point turnaround. If Stokkies had just taken that ball while over the line...!
23'- Lionel Mapoe has replaced Deon van Rensburg for the Lions. Looks like a rib injury for the latter...
22'- Rebels fullback Jack Debreczeni CONVERTS from the corner.
Lions 8-7 Rebels
21'- TRY to the Rebels!
After winning a penalty deep inside their own half, the Rebels take a quick tap and catch the Lions cold. Wing Tom English finishes off in the corner.
19'- NO TRY! Replays show Hanekom knocking the ball on over the goal-line. Poor skills, it must be said!
19'- TRY OR NO TRY?
Lions centre Stokkies Hanekom follows up on a clever grubber through from Boshoff but did he knock it on? TMO Johan Greeff to decide...
18'- Another attacking lineout for Lions inside the Rebels 22. Can they make them pay?
TWEETS
Lions scrum almost running with Rebels.... - RuggaWorld
That bind by Fuglistaller at scrum is illegal . He MUST bind on a lock . Not good enough ... - Jonathan Kaplan
15'- A naughty error from Boshoff as he kicks out directly to give the Rebels a lineout on halfway...
14' - The Lions scrum is absolutely crushing the Aussies here tonight!
11'- NO TRY!
Replays show that Higginbotham had a foot in touch. But that was nevertheless a great attacking move out wide by the Rebels...
11'- TMO CALL
Rebels skipper Scott Higginbotham sprints like a wing down the touchline and goes over in the corner. However, he may be out, so the TMO must decide...
10 '- Julian Redelinghuys is off for the Lions, although only for blood... So he'll be back.
9'- A clever chip kick over the top by scrumhalf Ross Cronje almost leads to trouble for the Rebels, but unfortunately Anthony Volmink knocks on after Coenie van Wyk flicks the bouncing ball it back for him. He had an open goal-line in front, albeit 50m out...
8'- PENALTY slotted by Boshoff.
Lions 8-0 Rebels.
8'- Another Lions penalty. This time they opt for posts, with Boshoff to line up from about 40m out...
6'- From the ensuing penalty, the Lions opt for a lineout, but then lose it on the ground after a good steal from Colby Fainga'a.
5'- A dominant maul from a lineout almost sees the Lions score their second try, but the Rebels opt to bring the maul down, albeit illegally... Penalty!
4'- The Rebels look to still have one foot on the airplane. Making a few soft errors here.
They only arrived in Johannesburg on Tuesday...
2'- Boshoff misses the conversion, but what a start from the hosts!
Lions 5-0 Rebels
1'- TRY! Anthony Volmink goes over in the corner for the Lions. He received a brilliant long pass from Boshoff before coasting over.
The move was set up by a dominant scrum by the hosts...
0'- A great early opportunity for the Lions as the Rebels knock it on in front of their own goal-line after a deep kick-off...
19:11 - Marnitz Boshoff gets play started!
19:09 - The Rebels will be in predominantly white tonight, with the Lions in their customary red.
19:05 - A very weak crowd in at Ellis Park tonight folks. But that's to be expected with Soccer World Cup and Wimbledon tennis also on the go. Only the die hard Lions fans are out tonight!
18:45 - TWEET
Of players to kick 20+ successful goals this year, Marnitz Boshoff has the best success rate (54/61 - 89%) - Ruck&Droll
NOT THE WORST SEASON FOR THE LIONS!
The Lions hope to finish their season in the way they started it, defying their critics and on the cusp of completing their best ever Super Rugby season since their franchise was formed.
Should they win tonight, they would earn their sixth win of the season.
"At the start of the season, nobody gave us a chance and nobody thought we would even win a single match," said Lions coach Johan Ackermann.
"If we win these two matches, it would be one of the best seasons the Lions had in many years."
The Lions' final match is at home to the Cheetahs next weekend.
18:40 - TWEET#ellisparklooking empty and quiet this evening... - Joel Stransky
FAN PICTURE
Lions fans await the start of tonight's match - Jaco Trollip
LOG POSITIONS:
Lions: 13th on 22 points
Rebels: 14th on 21 points
CLICK HERE to view the full Super Rugby log.
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OFFICIALS
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: Stuart Berry, Cobus Wessels
TMO: Johan Greeff
RECENT RESULTS
2012: Lions won 37-32, Johannesburg
TEAMS:
Lions
15 Coenie van Wyk, 14 Deon van Rensburg, 13 Stokkies Hanekom, 12 Alwyn Hollenbach, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Warwick Tecklenburg, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Franco Mostert, 3 Julian Redelinghuys, 2 Robbie Coetzee, 1 Schalk van der Merwe
Substitutes: 16 Armand van der Merwe, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Ruan Dreyer, 19 Willie Britz, 20 Derick Minnie, 21 Francois de Klerk, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Lionel Mapoe
Rebels
15 Jack Debreczeni, 14 Tom Kingston, 13 Tamati Ellison,12 Mitch Inman, 11 Tom English, 10 Bryce Hegarty, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Scott Higginbotham (captain), 7 Scott Fuglistaller, 6 Colby Fainga'a, 5 Luke Jones, 4 Hugh Pyle, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Shota Horie, 1 Toby Smith
Substitutes: 16 Pat Leafa,17 Cruze Ah-Nau, 18 Paul Alo-Emile, 19 Cadeyrn Neville, 20 Jordy Reid, 21 Nic Stirzaker, 22 Jason Woodward, 23 Telusa Veainu
Welcome to Sport24's LIVE scoring and interactive commentary on today's Super Rugby match between the Lions and Rebels at Ellis Park in Johannesburg!