A&G Lions deny Brumbies a bonus point
by Gavin Rich | 05 March 2010 (12:40)
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| Francis Fainifo © Gallo Images |
The decision by Auto & General Lions coach Dick Muir to make eight changes and field six new caps for Friday’s Vodacom Super 14 clash with the Brumbies did not result in a victory in Canberra, but there was enough to suggest in their 24-13 defeat that it could have a positive spin-off in the future.
Blow-by-blow scoring
The match was played in wet conditions and, as a result, it was never a decent spectacle, with most of the constructive rugby from both teams, which wasn’t often enough to really rave about it, coming in the form of the forward pick and go.
The Brumbies always looked the stronger team and were held up often by their own handling errors and some poor decision making, but the Lions should feel boosted by a defensive effort that was certainly a step up on some of their most recent performances.
Indeed, it wasn’t until the 35th minute that the Brumbies scored their first try and took a lead in the match for the first time. When it came, it came in the form of a penalty try which was marginal, and at a stage when the Lions had been reduced to 14 men by the yellow carding of Kevin Buys after 27 minutes.
You could sympathise with referee Steve Walsh for running out of patience with the Lions, who were set on spoiling everything by that stage and who conceded a whopping 18 penalties in the match. But awarding a penalty try for the scrumhalf going in front of the ball at the put in at a defensive scrum was a massive call to make.
The Lions had scored first with a penalty by rookie flyhalf Burton Francis in the opening five minutes, at which stage the Lions were doing all the attacking and as they swarmed over the Brumbies with their policy of all-out attack.
Matt Giteau, who fluffed the kick-off and was also not his usual skilled self with some of his field kicks, drew the scores level at 3-all after 15 minutes, and that was when the Bumbies started to get some momentum.
There were several occasions where, like in previous weeks, the opposition broke the Lions’ first line of defence, but they closed up the gap better than they have done and they also scrambled much better than in their earlier games.
Where the Lions took a significant pounding was in the set-scrums, and this is certainly an area that needs working on if they hope to have any success on their tour.
The Lions were still strongly in the game when Burton Francis missed a drop-goal attempt just before half time, and then a penalty drew the Lions back to a four point deficit, but after half time Christian Lealiifano crossed for the first real try of the game to stretch the Brumbies into a 17-6 lead.
However just as the Australian commentators might have been anticipating the Brumbies taking complete control, and make no mistake they always did look capable of it in terms of their superiority on the field of play, the Lions struck back.
It came through the aforementioned pick and go tactic, with new hooker Hannes Franklen pulling off an elaborate swallow dive as he ghosted around a breakdown to go over the line. The conversion put the Lions back in it, but five minutes later it was the Brumbies’ turn to pick-and-go, Stephen Moore being the man to complete the score.
The Lions had their fair share of attacking opportunities in the last quarter of the game and would have ended feeling they were a lot more competitive than many people would have expected them to be. The spirit displayed by the Lions was showcased by an outstanding cover tackle to prevent an almost certain try in the corner executed by 19-year-old Wandile Majeko.
Indeed, the guts and tenacity displayed by the Lions in the last minutes in defending a late Brumbies onslaught in their quest for a four-try bonus point will be thanked by some of the other challengers for semifinal places, particularly the Lions’ fellow South African team, the Stormers. By keeping them to three tries, the Lions ensured that the Brumbies still don’t have a four-try bonus after four games.
Scores:
Brumbies 24 – Penalty try; Tries: Christian Lealiifano and Stephen Moore; Conversions: Matt Giteau 3; Penalty: Matt Giteau.
Lions 13 – Try: Hannes Franklin; Conversion: Burton Francis; Penalties 2: Burton Francis
Read more on the Super 14 page.
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