Cape Town - The Lions crushed the hapless Rebels in a Super Rugby encounter in Melbourne on Saturday, running out easy 47-10 winners.
As it happened: Rebels v Lions
It took some time for the visitors to get into their stride with Kwagga Smith rounding off some excellent handling to score a converted try in the 19th minute for a 7-0 lead.
Scrumhalf Ross Cronje soon added another, sniping over for another converted score just six minutes later to put the Lions up 14-0.
The home side hit back almost immediately after prop Tom English collected a clever grubber from scrumhalf Ben Meehan to score in the left-hand corner. Reece Hodge added a conversion to cut the Lions' lead to seven points.
And that's the way it seemed destined to stay until the end of the first half before Courtnall Skosan cut through the Rebels defence to score an unconverted try just before the break to make 19-7 at half-time.
The visitors continued to dominate in the second half, adding tries through Sylvian Mahuza, Anthony Volmink and captain, Warren Whiteley. They were also awarded a penalty try for the Rebels persistently collapsing their driving maul. Flyhalf Elton Jantjies added three further conversions.
The Rebels could only add a penalty to their score through Hodge.
Next week the Lions face the Brumbies in Canberra while the Rebels host the Reds in an all-Australian derby.
Scores
Rebels
Try: Tom English
Conversion: Reece Hodge
Penalty: Reece Hodge
Lions
Tries: Kwagga Smith, Ross Cronje, Courtnall Skosan, Sylvian Mahuza, Penalty Try, Anthony Volmink, Warren Whiteley
Conversions: Elton Jantjies (5)
Teams
Rebels
15 Reece Hodge, 14 Sefa Naivalu, 13 Tom English, 12 Mitch Inman, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Ben Volavola, 9 Ben Meehan, 8 Amanaki Mafi, 7 Colby Fainga'a (captain), 6 Hugh Sinclair, 5 Dominic Day, 4 Steve Cummins, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 James Hanson, 1 Toby Smith
Substitutes: 16 Siliva Siliva, 17 Fereti Sa'aga, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Culum Retallick, 20 Will Miller, 21 Harrison Goddard, 22 Jackson Garden-Bachop, 23 Jack Maddocks
Lions
15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Sylvian Mahuza, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Warren Whiteley (captain), 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Lourens Erasmus, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Jacques van Rooyen
Substitutes: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Hencus van Wyk, 19 Ruan Ackermann, 20 Robert Kruger, 21 Dillon Smit, 22 Jacques Nel, 23 Anthony Volmink