Chiefs beat Lions in eighteen try thriller

The match can only be described as a tryfest as 18 tries were scored in all - 9 tries each and a player from each team picking up a hat-trick.

 

One Hundred and Thirty seven points were scored in 84 minutes.

 

The Lions kicking let them down but Earl Rose kicked an injury time conversion for a second bonus point from the match.

 

Stephen Donald won man of the match after scoring a try, three penalties and nine conversions.

 

The match itself bordered at times on the bizarre.

 

The Lions had been written off but came back from a 72-37 deficit to grab a second bonus point at the end of an 18-try match against last year's losing finalists the Chiefs, who held on to win 72-65.

 

With both sides scoring nine tries, one of the stars of the night was 19-year-old Wandile Mjekevu, playing only his second match at this level, who scored a hat-trick.

 

For at least two of the tries he had to do the hard work -and full marks go to Lions director of coaching Dick Muir and his coaching staff for recognising the outstanding potential of the youngster who turned 19 only six weeks ago.

 

Richard Kahui scored a hat-trick in a match where tackling at times was non-existent.

 

The Lions were on occasion very good in the first half, and an upset seemed on the cards. But then their defence let them down and two scores just before and after the break put the Chiefs in command.

 

The Chiefs, off the very first action of play, created an overlap - first on the left hand side and then on the right.

 

They were stopped in the process of going over the line, but from the ensuing ruck penalty the Chiefs again changed direction before centre Callum Bruce went over with less than two minutes on the clock.

With Stephen Donald converting from near the touchline, the Lions had a nightmare start to the game (7-0).

 

Less than six minutes later Earl Rose made it 7-3 with a penalty after the Lions had applied some pressure, but soon after a stray Lions elbow saw Donald restore the seven-point lead (10-3).

 

Sione Luaki was sent to the sin bin two minutes later, Rose converted the penalty and at 10-6 the Lions, who had played some good rugby, were back in it.

 

At 17-6 the Chiefs seemed out of sight, but from a penalty after the restart JP Joubert took a quick one, and Mjekevu, using his pace as the defence hesitated for an overlap pass, scored his first try at this level (17-11) before the Chiefs lost a second player to a yellow card as the Lions attacked with purpose, with Aled de Malmanche getting his marching orders.

 

The Lions didn't let up and after 23 minutes good follow-up work from American Eagles captain Todd Clever saw him collect a pop-pass to score -and with Rose converting, the Lions took the lead at 18-17.

 

Todd Clever put the Lions on the attack again as he intercepted on his 22 after the restart, and with the hosts exerting sustained pressure, Carlos Spencer - looking like the class act he is - scored after 30 minutes for Rose to convert (25-17).

 

Donald closed the gap slightly when he slotted a penalty from right in front (25-20).

 

But the Lions were denied a half-time lead when flyhalf Donald exploited some poor defence to score and convert and make it 27-25 to the Chiefs at the break.

 

At the start of the second half the Chiefs repeated the dose, again faced with missed first-time tackles, and with Liam Messam's try converted it became a rather flattering 34-25 to the visitors.

 

With Donald slotting a penalty six minutes after the break to make it 37-25, the Lions were up against it, and it became worse after Deon van Rensburg surrendered possession when held for Kahui to run 55 metres for his second try.

 

Kahui got his hat-trick 15 minutes in to the second half when the Lions tried to run from their own line and he picked up a desperate pass off Jonathan Mokuena to jog through (51-25).

 

Junior Poluleuligaga pushed them further ahead (58-25), and with more than the fourth quarter remaining, Sitiveni Sivivatu rounded off another move marked by poor defence, and Donald made it 65-25.

 

The 100-point mark was broached after a good straight-running converted try by Doppies la Grange and Tonderai Chavanga made it 65-37 after a good passage of Lions' play.

 

Then All Blacks scrumhalf Brendan Leonard scored again for the Chiefs and with Donald on target if was 72-37 with 10 minutes remaining.

 

The 14th try of the match was scored when Mjekevu jinxed his way through for a converted try (72-44).

 

The teenager's third after a good backline move with some forward interplay, and some great footwork from the youngster, set up another seven points for the Lions.

 

Then the hosts drove over for captain Cobus Grobbelaar to put down and close the gap.

 

With the conversion again good, the Lions had come back to within one try of a seven-point bonus point loss with three minutes remaining.

 

Sustained pressure and some ill-discipline saw Jacques Lombard go over and the Lions converted which made the score 72-65 which meant that the losing side had scored nine tries and two bonus points.

 

Final Score Lions 65 Chiefs 72

Scorers

Lions
Tries - Wandile Mjekevu 3, T Clever, C Spencer, D La Grange, T Chavhanga, C Grobbelaar ,J Lombaard 
Pen - E Rose 2
Con - E Rose 6
Drop -

Match Officials
Referee: Marius Jonker (SA)
Ass. refs: Stuart Berry (SA), Sindile Mayende (SA)
TMO: Johann Meuwesen (SA)

Teams

Lions: Earl Rose; Tonderai Chavhanga, Deon Van Rensburg, Doppies La Grange, Wandile Mjekevu; Carlos Spencer, JP Joubert; Todd Clever, Derick Minnie, Cobus Grobbelaar (c), Willem Stoltz, Franco Van der Merwe, Ross Geldenhuys, Hannes Franklin, Heinke Van der Merwe.

Replacements - Charles Emslie, JC Kevin Janse van Rensburg Buys, Jacques Lombaard, Jonathan Mokuena, Jacques Coetzee, Burton Francis, Michael Killian.

Chiefs 1. Sona Taumalolo,2. Aled de Malmanche ,3. Nathan White,4. Craig Clarke,5. Culum Retallick,6. Liam Messam ,7. Luke Braid,8. Sione Lauaki (captain),9. Junior Poluleuligaga,10. Stephen Donald,11. Sitiveni Sivivatu,12. Callum Bruce,13. Richard Kahui,14. Dwayne Sweeney,15. Mike Delany

Reserves: 16. Hika Elliot, 17. Ben Afeaki, 18. Jarrad Hoeata, 19. Tanerau Latimer, 20. Brendon Leonard, 21. Jackson Willison, 22. Tim Nanai-Williams.