Lions break Sharks hearts in thriller at Ellis Park

The Sharks thought they had clinched the four log points with 10 minutes to go when 19-year-old wunderkind Curwin Bosch slotted an incredible 65-metre penalty, but it was not to be for the visitors from Durban.

Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies first knocked over a three-pointer to level the scores at 29-29, and then it was the turn of Kriel to break the Sharks’ hearts.

With four minutes left on the clock, Lions fullback Andries Coetzee – who had earlier kicked a superb drop goal – sparked the counter-attack by running the ball back into the Sharks’ half.

Coetzee showed his class when he managed to get the offload away in the tackle to replacement flank Kwagga Smith, and the Blitzboks star displayed his hot-stepping skills when he found a gap in very little space, and put Kriel away in space.

The Bok loose forward surged away from the Sharks defence and rampaged over the line to put the Lions ahead by five points.

Robert du Preez’s Sharks side worked their way back upfield a few minutes later, but conceded possession that sealed their fate.

But it was a wonderful rugby match that proved that South African players are able to employ an attacking approach and mix it up with physicality and set-piece efficiency.

It was the visitors who were quicker out of the blocks, building up a 10-0 lead in as many minutes as their forwards climbed into the Lions.

Right wing Kobus van Wyk, who was industrious throughout the evening, burst through the Lions midfield. But while he couldn’t go all the way, the unlikely figure of tighthead prop Coenie Oosthuizen ran all of 20 metres and held off Warren Whiteley to crash over the whitewash.

The turning point in the game came after 26 minutes when a Sharks try was disallowed. The free-flowing Sharks stretched the Lions defence from side to side, and centre André Esterhuizen flopped over in the left-hand corner.

But referee Jaco van Heerden called the play back and asked the TMO to look at a possible infringement at a ruck, and Sharks lock Etienne Oosthuizen was ruled to have held Lions flank Ruan Ackermann around the neck.

Bosch, though, drilled over a brilliant drop goal before half-time to put the Sharks 16-6 ahead, but Etienne Oosthuizen was the villain again when he was yellow-carded for tackling Kriel around the neck.

The Lions kicked the resultant penalty into touch to set up a driving maul, and hooker Malcolm Marx scored to make it 16-13 to the Sharks at half-time.

The home team roared ahead early in the second half when first wing Courtnall Skosan finished off a well-worked backline move with aplomb, and Coetzee kicked his drop goal to push the Lions into a 23-16 advantage.

The Sharks hit back when Van Wyk rounded off following good work by replacement Inny Radebe, with Bosch booting over the conversion from the touch-line to even things up at 23-23.

Bosch and Jantjies exchanged a few penalties – including the unbelievable 65m effort from the Sharks star, who was named as the Man of the Match – and it was 29-29 with six minutes left.

Then came Kriel’s final knock-out punch, and the Lions closed things out to triumph in what was a wonderful advertisement for South African rugby.

Scorers: Lions 34 (13): Tries: Malcolm Marx, Courtnall Skosan, Jaco Kriel. Conversions: Elton Jantjies (2). Penalties: Jantjies (4). Drop Goal: Andries Coetzee (1).

Sharks 29 (16): Tries: Coenie Oosthuizen, Kobus van Wyk. Conversions: Curwin Bosch (2). Penalties: Bosch (4). Drop Goal: Bosch (1).