Bok's double steers Bulls to win over Lions

Yesterday at 09:20 AM

MATCH REPORT: Springbok Canan Moodie scored two tries as he helped the Bulls to a United Rugby Championship victory over the Lions at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Fresh from a shock defeat to the Sharks, the Bulls bounced back with a 31-19 win over the Lions in front of 17 500 spectators  in Pretoria

*To recap all the action CLICK HERE!!!

They scored five tries, including a brace by Springbok back Canan Moodie.

The other try-scorers were Willie le Roux, Sebastian de Klerk and Marco van Staden.

David Kriel added six points with the boot.

For the Lions, it was a cruel reality check after their historic win over the Stormers last weekend.

The Lions created a lot of chances but could only score three tries, while two were chalked off due to individual errors.

Ivan van Rooyen also has a major injury concern as Henco van Wyk left the field at the break, with what appears to be an ankle injury.

The Bulls raced to a 17-0 lead thanks to tries by Moodie, Le Roux and De Klerk after just 20 minutes of play.

The second quarter belonged to the Johannesburg side.

Steered by flyhalf Giani Lombard, the Lions got themselves back into the match.

The Bulls dominated the opening exchanges. Springbok duo Le Roux and Moodie linked up perfectly before the latter, having to beat three defenders, scored the first try.

David Kriel missed the conversion.

The hosts were relentless and within 10 minutes of play, at the back of some incredible defence and some impressive set-play, veteran Le Roux added his name on the scoreboard.

Minutes later, the Bulls were at it again. With the solid scrum setting the platform, Devon Williams got the ball outwide, before his chip kick was gathered by Sebastian De Klerk, who dotted down.

David Kriel finally managed to add the easy conversion for the 17-0 lead.

The Lions showed glimpses of their lethal attack and quickly got themselves back in the thick of things with two tries.

After some great work by playmaker Edwill van der Merwe to get the Lions in the red zone, Van Wyk powered over the line. Lombard added the extras, cutting the deficit to 10 points.

The Bulls went down to 14 men, which aided the Lions' cause.

From a counterattack, hooker PJ Botha finished off an amazing team try. Lombard made sure not to miss the conversion.

With the half-time clock well into the red, Mpilo Gumede thought he scored for the Bulls. However, he was held up by Van der Merwe and the host had to settle for a narrow 17-14 lead at the break.

The Lions suffered a major blow in the second half. Aside from being down to 14-man, the yellow card to Quan Horn, the try-scorer Van Wyk did not return to the field.

It was a very competitive outing, but the Bulls took charge of the early exchanges and eventually, Moodie went over the line to score his second try of the match. David Kriel got the conversion for the 24-14 lead.

The Bulls had multiple penalties inside the Lions' 22 and from a quick tap, Van Staden powered over, handing the hosts a 31-14 lead.

In the last quarter, the Lions eventually got over the line, after some great interplay by the backs saw Richard Kriel dived over.

However, the side will be very disappointed after two tries were chalked off due to a neck roll and a knock-on.
The Bulls had a chance to extend the lead, but Keagan Johannes missed the kick.

Nonetheless, Jake White's men did enough for the 31-19 victory.

Man of the match: Giani Lombard was a standout for the Lions, while Canan Moodie and Marco van Staden deserve some credit for their performance for the Bulls. However, our nod goes to Stedman Gans. Aside from a yellow card, the centre was lethal on attack and also solid in defence. He was constantly looking for work.

The scorers:

For Bulls:
Tries: Moodie 2, Le Roux, De Klerk, Van Staden
Cons: D Kriel 3

For Lions:
Tries: Van Wyk, Botha, Richard Kriel
Cons: Lombard 2

Yellow card: Stedman Gans (Bulls, 20 - cynical foul). Quern Horn (Lions, 40 - cynical foul)

Bulls: 15 Devon Williams, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 David Kriel, 11 Canan Moodie, 10 Willie le Roux, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Mpilo Gumede, 7 Reinhardt Ludwig (captain), 6 Marco van Staden, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Alulutho Tshakweni, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Ruan Vermaak, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Keagan Johannes, 23 Sergeal Petersen.

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Richard Kriel, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Gianni Lombard, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 Juan Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Morgan Naude, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Ruan Delport, 20 Sibabalo Qoma, 21 Renzo du Plessis, 22 Nico Steyn, 23 Manuel Rass.

Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Morne Ferreira (South Africa), Sean Muller (South Africa)
TMO: Egon Seconds (South Africa)

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