Hurricanes give Lions a wake-up call
The Hurricanes gave the Lions' an early wake-up call, as they beat them 22-8 in their Super Rugby season-opener at Ellis Park on Friday.
Let's start by stating the obvious. The first sentence of the Laws of the Game says that 'the team scoring the greater number of points [is] the winner of the match'.
That's obvious, but do we always know it? Did the Lions know it?
It's not the team with more possession that wins or the team with more territory. It's the team with more points..
The Lions had more than 60percent of the possession and more than 60 percent of the territory, but the Hurricanes won because they scored more than 70 percent of the points.
The Hurricanes took their chances. They had eight chances to score and scored six times.
The Lions had far more chances. Apart from missing four kicks at goal, they also eschewed chances to kick at goal in search of tries, but they were out-thought (out-Plumtreed?) in this match.
It may just be that John Plumtree, after many years in South African rugby till recently, knew exactly how to beat the Lions.
Where the Lions were rushing about in the expectation of plenty, the Hurricanes were conservative, careful and calculating. And they were determined. They had to make twice as many tackles as the Lions, but they made them as robustly as they could. They attacked the tackle and won turnovers in the post-tackle contest, won it well.
The Lions have a famous scrum, but the Hurricanes matched them and then scored a try by winning a tighthead. They were better controlled than the Lions and so they put the ball into 13 scrums to the Lions' seven.
The Hurricanes had better possession at the line-outs, even twice winning the Lions' throw.
And - surprise - playing at altitude against a team that lives at altitude, the Hurricanes ended stronger, scoring 11 points to nil in the second half, eight of those points in the last six minutes.
The Hurricanes just seemed better prepared and more intent.
The Lions' first-half goal-kicking was sad. Marnus Boshoff missed three penalty kicks at goal, two of them straightforward and a conversion from a handy position. Then he got one over just on half-time and in the second half they did not kick at goal again.
Possession and territory notwithstanding, the Hurricanes thoroughly deserved this Friday-night victory.
Boshoff kicked off deep and the Hurricanes cleared to touch. That was the way of all Lions' kick-offs, unvarying in execution of kick and in exit.
The Hurricanes were penalised twice in quick succession and the second time Boshoff's kick was accurate but short. The Lions attacked with short passes, the Hurricanes were penalised and Boshoff's straightforward kick was wide. Two excellent chips by the Lions' fullback Andries Coetzee set the Lions attacking down the left. They went wide right and were stopped in a maul within five metres of the line. The scrum collapsed twice and the Hurricanes were penalised.
The Lions kicked out for a five-metre line-out but the Hurricanes easily repulsed their maul. The Hurricanes were penalised.
The Lions kicked put for a five-metre line-out but the Hurricanes easily repulsed their maul.
The Hurricanes were penalised in front of their posts and this time Boshoff kicked at goal, but he hit the upright and the ball stayed out.
The Lions attacked again and massive Macome Marx was close on the left. They went wide right and slight Ruan Combrinck forced his way through three Hurricanes to score. 5-3 to the Lions after 23 minutes.
For four minutes the Lions led, for the Hurricanes got back in their territory Schalk van der Merwe was penalised for 'hinging' in a scrum and Barrett goaled. 6-5 after 27 minutes.
Just inside the Hurricanes' 22 the Hurricanes were penalties at a maul and again the Lions kicked out for a five-metre line-out. The Lions varied their attack with a quick maul and bash with Jaco Kriel and Howard Mnisi close but they went wide with long, slow passes that negated their overlaps, and lost out when Derick Minnie knocked on.
Just inside the Lions half, from a line-out, Jason Woodward beat Courtnall Skosan on the outside and ;later on the inside before giving to TJ Perenara on his inside and the scrumhalf raced away to score. 11-5 after 35 minutes.
The Lions shoved the Hurricanes' pack away in a scrum and Boshoff goaled the resultant penalty to make it 11-8 at half-time.
The Hurricanes kicked off deep to start the second half and the Lions ran from near their line. Aware that they would, the Hurricanes tore into them and came close to scoring. But the lions got out of trouble and Jantjies followed up a clean break by kicking a penalty dead.
Kriel was penalised at a tackle. 15-8 after 53 minutes.
The Lions kicked out for an attacking line-out but Kriel lost the ball. The Hurricanes' were penalised near their line and the Lions tapped and attacked but knocked on and the next thing Julian Savea was racing down the left. He grubbered ahead into empty acres but miraculously Kriel saved and the Lions countered. The Lions then lost the ball in a tackle and Minnie infringed. 17-8 after 54 minutes.
Right at the end the Hurricanes' attacked and bashed their way to close to the goal-line. Victor Vito was close but lost the ball at the line. The Lions had a five-metre scrum but the Hurricanes took a tighthead and went left for Matt Proctor to score in the left corner. The missed conversion ended the match, which was played in a fine spirit.
Man of the Match: Warren Whiteley, the Lions' captain was excellent but the ones deserving to be honoured were really Hurricanes, especially cool Beauden Barrett, energetic James Broadhurst, powerful Rey Le-Lo in the centre and our choice - ebullient scrumhalf TJ Perenara who has so much skill and who gets totally engrossed in the game.
The scorers:
For the Lions:
Try: Combrink
Pen: Boshoff
For the Hurricanes:
Tries: Perenara, Proctor
Pens: Barrett 4
Teams:
Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Warren Whiteley (captain), 7 Derick Minnie, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Martin Muller, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Schalk van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Armand van der Merwe, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Jacques van Rooyen, 19 Robert Kruger, 20 Warwick Tecklenburg, 21 Francois de Klerk, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Nicolaas Hanekom
Hurricanes: 15 Jason Woodward, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith (captain), 12 Rey Le-Lo, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Blade Thomson, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Brad Shields, 5 James Broadhurst, 4 Mark Abbott, 3 Ben Franks, 2 Dan Coles, 1 Reggie Goodes.
Replacements: 16 Brayden Mitchell, 17 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 18 Chris Eves, 19 Callum Gibbins, 20 Victor Vito, 21 Chris Smylie, 22 James Marshall, 23 Matt Proctor.
Referee: Rohan Hoffmann (Australia)
Assistant referees: Andrew Lees (Australia), Lesego Legoete (South Africa)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa)
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