Lions player ratings v Sharks: ‘Classy effort’ from Springbok scrum-half and back-rower who ‘led his team expertly in the carry’
Springboks No.9 Morne van den Berg and skipper Francke Horn were at the heart of the Lions' win over the Sharks
Following their deserved 34-22 win over the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship at Ellis Park, here are the player ratings for the Lions.
Lions player ratings
15 Quan Horn: Produced some lovely moments, such as joining the line when the Lions attacked off a first-half scrum, but couldn’t stay out of touch when dextrously attempting to defend a kick-through just before the break, the resulting pressure leading to the Bronson Mills yellow card. 6
14 Kelly Mpeku: Another back-three selection who also enjoyed some great contributions. Check out the quality of his aerial work, including catches on 17 minutes and then also early in the second half. However, his highlight reel moment was his two kick chases and picks up off the ground in the Lions’ second try, action rounded off by a sweet one-handed offload to Morne van den Berg. Class. 8
13 Henco van Wyk: A quiet outing compared to his teammates in the backline. Not that he didn’t put it in with the mercury showing 25°C, it was just that the key action took place without him pivotally involved. 5
12 Bronson Mills: An eventful afternoon that in the first half featured one lovely break and a super rip on Francois Venter. However, this was offset by a penalty conceded for no release and then his yellow card for head contact with Venter. Solid second half following his return from the bin. 7
11 Angelo Davids: Began hesitatingly with a fumble, but when he next tested the Sharks down his channel, his bursting run resulted in the match-transforming yellow card, as Jaden Hendrikse couldn’t resist infringing and the next 10 minutes were ‘won’ 14-0 by the Lions. Agonisingly close to a try on a 55th-minute kick chase, contesting a dive with Jaco Williams but knocking on. 6
10 Chris Smith: Very steady URC display in which he kept his team ticking over on the scoreboard with four first-half kicks, and then two more conversions in the second half for a total of 14 points. Also, considerably assisted the defence, but there were two missed tackles on Jurenzo Julius, the second of which he was absolved from as an obstruction earlier in the play elsewhere was enough for the Sharks’ resulting try to be ruled out. 7
9 Morne van den Berg: A classy effort from the Springbok in which he won the penalty for the opening three points and was then at his best when tactically exposing the Hendrikse sin-binning. There were two rolling grubbers to get the Lions from inside the 22 to the opposition 22, and the support line he ran to take the pass from Mpeku was a joy. Found himself trapped at the ruck at 27-10 that invited the Sharks into the corner to score, but he was overall a core reason why his team enjoyed another win over the Sharks after beating them away last month in Durban. 8
The forwards
8 Francke Horn: The skipper led by example, setting the tone with his early doors gathering of the ball in a ruck and then blasting through it before playing a neat pass in the contact. Was a go-to for his team at the front of the lineout and didn’t hesitate to muck in with the grunt work to blunt the Sharks. 6
7 Ruan Venter: Red-carded when the teams last clashed in early January in Durban, he had another roller coaster here but with plenty more ups. Led his team expertly in the carry – one particular huge show of strength and swivel in the contact produced a first-half penalty – but his outing was temporarily cut short after taking a knee to the head in the fallout from a tackle he had just made before the break. Back for the second half, where he was soon winning a penalty and featuring in the play that led to the third Lions try before he pounced himself on 52 minutes with the bonus score. 8
6 Siba Mahashe: An excellent tournament debut for the back-rower, who wasn’t the slightest bit daunted by the step up. Got stuck into the first-half tackles, helping his team to its deserved 20-10 advantage at the interval. He then put them further ahead with his well-finished score four minutes into the second half. There was also a big carry in the follow-up try. 7
5 Darrien Landsberg: A seminal 50th appearance for the lock, but one that began horribly as he knocked on with the line at his mercy. Trucked on and can be pleased he played a role in the valuable win that has lifted his team to seventh on the table. 5
4 Etienne Oosthuizen: Had his troubling moments, such as the off-feet first-half penalty that invited the Sharks to kick to the corner. He also won’t want to see the replay of his fumble with the try line approaching, losing the ball when tackled by Tino Mavesere before half-time. Still, helped to get his side into their deserved lead before making his exit. 5
3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye: Produced a devastating spin away from the maul for a successful dash to the try line on the 30-minute mark, beating Jaco Williams with is worm-like body position. Will be delighted that the Lions were 34-15 up when he was subbed off with his fellow front rowers. 6
2 PJ Botha: Certainly wasn’t Luke Littler when it came to the consistency of his lineout darts. Happiest when throwing to the very front. 5
1 SJ Kotze: On a pitch where the reliability of the turf was questionable, he conceded a scrum penalty on 37 minutes deep in Sharks territory, an infringement that ultimately left the Lions vulnerable as their 13-point lead was soon cut to 10 and they also lost a player to a yellow due to the pressure that materialised. 5
Replacements: Batho Hlekani has two separate cameos off the bench against his old club and was joined by four other sub forwards before the hour mark, with the Lions leading by 19 points. They eventually won it by 12, despite Francois Marais’ 64th-minute yellow card for going high. 5
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