Share

Waratahs dispatch brave Lions

Sydney - The Waratahs have scored a 41-13 bonus-point win over South Africa's Golden Lions in Sydney on Sunday to maintain their push for a Super Rugby play-off.

As it happened: Waratahs v Lions

The Tahs scored five tries to one, with a brace to winger Rob Horne, as they kept the Lions scoreless in the second half after leading 17-13 at half-time.

The five points took the Waratahs to fourth place overall behind competition leaders Sharks, and within one point of the Brumbies at the top of the Australia conference.

While it was an emphatic victory for Michael Cheika's Waratahs, it was a messy performance with a total of 27 turnovers, 14 of them handling errors.

Flyhalf Bernard Foley had an impressive match ahead of this week's Wallaby squad selection for the three home French Tests.

He scored a total of 21 points from a try, five conversions and two penalties out of his seven shots at goal.

The Lions had looked to be well in the match after a try by blindside flanker Jaco Kriel off a rolling maul in the 13th minute and steady goalkicking from fly-half Marnitz Boshoff.

But the Waratahs stormed away from the Johannesburg-based outfit in the 10 minutes after the resumption with tries to Horne and Wallaby centre Adam Ashley-Cooper to kill off the game with a 31-13 lead.

Horne scored his second try after the full-time siren after Wallaby fullback Israel Folau went close to scoring.

The result continued the Lions' losing run on their Australasian tour with three losses before their final tour game against the Force in Perth next Saturday.

The Lions have not won in 10 trips to Sydney and have only beaten the Waratahs twice in 17 encounters.

"We started the first half with a lot of intent but it probably got a bit loose in that last 30 minutes with a bit too many turnovers, but overall a pleasing result," said Waratahs skipper Dave Dennis.

"We knew the Lions were strong finishers, they've proven that over the last couple of weeks and it was crucial that we started the second half well and to put them out of the game was a good result."

Lions captain Warren Whiteley rued a disappointing result, with his team seemingly unable to play out a full 80 minutes.

"The previous week it was the second 40 minutes that we performed well and this week in the first half we were in it.

"But a great performance from the Waratahs, especially in the second half," he said.

The Waratahs have just a five-day turnaround before facing the Rebels in Melbourne.

Scorers:


Waratahs - 41: Tries: Bernard Foley, Kurtley Beale, Rob Horne (2), Adam Ashley-Cooper; Conversions: Foley (5); Penalties: Foley (2)

Lions - 13: Tries: Jaco Kriel; Conversions: Marnitz Boshoff; Penalties: Boshoff (2)

Teams:

Waratahs:

15 Israel Folau, 14. Matt Carraro, 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12. Kurtley Beale, 11. Rob Horne, 10. Bernard Foley, 9. Nick Phipps, 8. Wycliff Palu, 7. Michael Hooper, 6. Dave Dennis, 5.Kane Douglas, 4.Will Skelton, 3. Paddy Ryan, 2. Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1. Benn Robinson

Substitutes (from): 16. Hugh Roach, 17. Jeremy Tilse, 18. Sekope Kepu, 19. Jacques Potgieter, 20. Stephen Hoiles, 21. Brendan McKibbin, 22. Alofa Alofa, 23. Taqele Naiyaravoro

Lions:

15. Courtnall Skosan, 14. Deon van Rensburg, 13. Lionel Mapoe, 12. Stefan Watermeyer, 11. JW Jonker, 10. Marnitz Boshoff, 9. Faf de Klerk, 8. Warren Whiteley (captain), 7. Derick Minnie, 6. Jaco Kriel, 5. Martin Muller, 4. MB Lusaseni, 3. Julian Redelinghuys, 2. Robbie Coetzee, 1. Schalk van der Merwe
 
Substitutes: 16. Armand van der Merwe, 17. Corné Fourie, 18. Ruan Dreyer, 19. Rudi Mathee, 20. Warwick Tecklenburg, 21. Ross Cronjé, 22. Elton Jantjies, 23. Chrysander Botha
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2246 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE