Lions cement top spot

If you don't love the Lions, you don't love rugby. Here we have a squad of players who clearly are happy to be together, happy playing rugby, brave and skilful, determined and smiling, ambitious and honest, creative and effective. What's not to love? They are what is best in rugby.

And we saw it again this afternoon at Ellis Park when they played the Jaguares and won 52-24. If they had kicked as they should have, they would have scored over 70 points. That may not matter in this match but there may be occasions when it will be crucial. They missed five conversions, two penalty goals and a drop goal from in front. That adds up to 19 points. While Elton Jantjies and Ruan Combrinck were missing kicks at goal, Nicolás Sánchez scored 14 points, missing just one conversion.

But that sounds niggardly at a time when we should be celebrating a rugby fiesta - ten tries and several other exciting occasions which could and even should have been tries.

In fact it was all fun - not the fun of a comedy or a circus - the fun of seeing rugby played with skill and romance, in a spirit of adventure.

And remember, too, what the Jaguares  brought to the party, happy as they were to run from anywhere on the field.

The Jaguares kicked off and attacked but they suffered throughout the match from a disease called turnovers. The Lions broke their attack with one and then from the next one had Howard Mnisi breaking and running hard till he was tackled. But the Lions kept it going and out on the left wing flank Cyle Brink forged ahead and in a gap passed to Courtnall Skosan who raced over for a try. 5-0 after 3 minutes.

The Jaguares have the worst disciplinary record in this year's Super Rugby but they won the penalty count 12-7 on this afternoon. Sánchez goaled two of them at this stage and after 8 minutes the Jaguares led 6-5. This lead lasted for 17 minutes.

There were promising activities by Mnisi, Warren Whiteley and Jaco van der Walt. Then at a line-out some 10 metres outside the Lions 22, Whiteley slapped back the Jaguares throw-in. The ball bounced about well inside the 22 but Jaco Kriel went to fetch it  and gave it to Skosan and the Lions were going right on the attack. Lionel Mapoe threw a long pass to Van der Walt who beat two Jaguares with the touchline right next to him and gave the ball inside to Mapoe who raced 41 metres and over the fullback to score at try which Jantjies converted. 12-6 after 25 minutes.

There was a lot more activity till Jantjies kicked a high diagonal out to the left wing. The Jaguares actually got the ball but when they spilled it Brink dived on it and eventually the ball went infield where tall Lourens Erasmus, a lock, beat two defenders to score at the posts. 19-9, which was the half-time score.

The Lions started the second half at an even higher pace than they had in the first half and they scored five tries in the half. They ran and attacked till Brink rounded off the activity with a try. 24-9 after 44 minutes.

That became 24-12 when Sánchez goaled his fourth penalty.

In this half Combrinck did all the kicking at goal. He had seven kicks at goal - six with his right foot and one with his left foot. He goaled three of the seven.

The first was a when Facundo Isa was penalised. The second after Kriel had delighted everybody with a try in the right corner. It started on the Lions' left when Juan Martín Hernández kneed the ball forward and the Lions went wide right to Sylvain Mahuza who passed inside to Kriel who raced more than 30 metres to score. 24-12 after 59 minutes.

From a scrum inside the Lions' half Whiteley passed to Combrinck on his left in a flyhalf position with Jantjies off. Combrinck started running and he kept on running straight for the goal-line. After 61 metres of running he scored a try to delight the heart. 39-12 after 62 minutes.

The Jaguares came back battering at the Lions' line and a sharp pass on the short side sent Sánchez over in the left corner. 39-17 after 65 minutes.

The Lions counterattacked with Whiteley galloping away. He gave to Combrink who gave to Brink who gave it back to Combrinck, who scored 44-17 after 69 minutes.

The Jaguares kicked off and Whiteley went charging down the left touchline. He gave inside to Malcolm Marx who gave to Skosan who scored his second try. 49-17 after 71 minutes.

Bless the Jaguares. They started running deep inside their 22. Two penalties helped them on their way as they tapped and ran . They were battering at the line when substitute scrumhalf Gonzalo Bertranou picked up and dabbed the ball over the line. 49-24.

The siren had gone when the Jaguares were penalised at a scrum - for the third time -  and Combrinck goaled to end the match.

As the players shook hands afterwards, none of the Jaguares smiled.

Man of the Match: There are lots of candidates but our choice is the leader ho ran, tackled, won line-outs and set the tone for the performance - Warren Whiteley.

The scorers:

For the Lions:

Tries: Skosan 2, Mapoe, Erasmus, Brink, Kriel, Combrink 2

Cons: Jantjies 2, Combrink

Pens: Combrink 2

For the Jaguares:

Tries: Sanchez, Desio

Con: Sanchez

Pens: Sanchez 4

Teams:

Lions: 15 Jaco van der Walt, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Howard Mnisi , 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Francois de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley (captain), 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Lourens Erasmus, 3 Julian Redelinghuys, 2 Armand van der Merwe, 1 Corne Fourie.

Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Jacques van Rooyen, 19 Ruan Ackermann, 20 Warwick Tecklenburg, 21 Ross Cronje, 22 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 23 Sylvian Mahuza

Jaguares: 15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Emiliano Boffelli, 13 Juan Martin Hernández, 12 Matías Orlando, 11 Lucas González Amorosino, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Martín Landajo (captain), 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Tomás Lezana, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Matías Alemanno, 3 Ramiro Herrera, 2 Julián Montoya, 1 Santiago García Botta.

Replacements: 16 Facundo Bosch, 17 Facundo Gigena, 18 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Javier Ortega Desio, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Santiago González Iglesias, 23 Ramiro Moyano.

Referee: Stuart Berry (South Africa)

Assistant referees: Cwengile Jadezweni (South Africa), Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)

TMO: Willie Vos (South Africa)