Lions run riot to devour Sunwolves

Jaco Kriel scores for the Lions in Johannesburg. Photo: Getty Images
Jaco Kriel scores for the Lions in Johannesburg. Photo: Getty Images
South Africa’s Lions showed their entire array of skills to batter the Japanese Sunwolves into submission with a thumping 94-7 victory in their Super Rugby clash at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The Lions ran in 14 tries to equal the tournament record for a single game as they picked apart the dismal defence of the visitors, who will have plenty of soul-searching to do after such a harrowing defeat.

Wing Ruan Combrinck scored a hat-trick of tries for the home side, to go with braces for loose forwards Jaco Kriel and Kwagga Smith.

Remarkably, none of the 101 points scored in the match came from penalties.

The victory moves the Lions to 61 points from 14 games - two behind overall log leaders, New Zealand's Crusaders, with one round remaining as they seek the top spot that would give them a home run in the knockout stages.

The Lions were utterly dominant in the scrum as they pushed the Sunwolves off their own ball on two occasions in the first half, and from the first of those scrumhalf Ross Cronje grabbed the opening try.

The physicality of the home side was too much for the meek Sunwolves, who conceded one of the softest tries seen in Super Rugby all season shortly afterwards.

Kriel picked up the ball on the 22-metre line and powered through seven Sunwolves tackles to go over for the try. Credit the persistence and strength of the loose-forward, but the defence from the visitors was abysmal.

Sensing blood, given their dominant opening 20 minutes, the Lions then ran a ball from inside their own 22 with an excellent move that ended with Smith scoring the try.

Smith then added another and flyhalf Elton Jantjies got in on the action as the home side went into halftime leading 35-0.

The carnage continued in the second period, with hooker Armand van der Merwe finishing another rampaging Lions attack, before Combrink broke the Sunwolves line far too easily to score.

The visitors were flailing and from the kick-off the Lions launched another savage attack that saw Kriel grab his second, before Combrink was put into space by a long pass and crossed easily for a ninth try inside an hour.

There was a brief reprieve for the Sunwolves when Uwe Helu scored under the posts, but within minutes the Lions had stretched their lead Courtnall Skosan the latest to pick apart the Sunwolves defence.

Scrumhalf Faf de Klerk, flyer Sylvian Mahuza and number eight Ruan Ackermann all touched down, before Combrink completed the rout with his hat-trick.

CHEETAHS 34 STORMERS 40

Cheslin Kolbe scored a hat-trick of tries from the wing as the Stormers completed an ill-tempered, high-scoring victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

Both teams finished with 14 players after late red cards for Cheetahs flank Henco Venter and Stormers loose-forward Rynhard Elstadt, who had also earlier been sent to the sin-bin. In all, three yellow cards were flashed to go with the two reds.

Teenage flyhalf Damian Willemse bagged a try for the Stormers in his first start, to go with scores for wing Seabelo Senatla and flank Sikhumbuzo Notshe.

The Stormers have already sealed their quarter-final place in the competition, while the Cheetahs are out of the running, but put in a lively display that saw them score four tries in defeat.

JAGUARES 30 KINGS 31

South Africa's Kings came from 25-14 down just after halftime in Buenos Aires to snatch a fifth victory of the season and leave the Jaguares ruing some poor place-kicking on Friday.

Jaguares flanker Juan Manuel Leguizamon, winger Emiliano Boffelli, flyhalf Nicholas Sanchez and fullback Joaquin Tuculet all scored tries in the first 41 minutes to put the home side well on course for victory.

Centre Luzuko Vulindlu and winger Makazole Mapimpi also crossed in the first half to keep the Kings in touch, however, and Mapimpi's second effort and a Wandie Mjekevu try in the 71st minute proved enough to see the visitors home.

Tuculet scored a second try six minutes from time but Gonzalo Bertranou missed a conversion that might have won the match. Sanchez earlier landed only two of five place kicks, while his Kings counterpart Lionel Cronje kicked five of six.

Neither side have a chance of making the playoffs.

SHARKS 17 BULLS 30

Fullback Warrick Gelant scored a hat-trick of tries as the Bulls turned in their best performance of a dismal Super Rugby season for victory over the Sharks at Kings Park on Friday.

The match was essentially a dead rubber with the Sharks having already qualified for the quarter-finals and the visitors out of contention for the knock-out stages.

Bulls number eight Nick de Jager also scored a try to go with 10 points from the boot of flyhalf Tiaan Schoeman, who was an early replacement for the injured Tony Jantjies, younger brother of Springbok pivot Elton.

The Sharks grabbed tries through prop Thomas du Toit and fullback Curwin Bosch, with the latter also adding two conversions and a penalty.

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