Sharks 9-24 Lions: Andries Ferreira and Lionel Mapoe tries set up win
By AFP
Last Updated: 12/04/16 11:17am
Golden Lions replaced fellow South African side Coastal Sharks as Africa 2 conference leaders by winning their Super Rugby clash 24-9 in Durban on Saturday.
The Johannesburg outfit survived intense early pressure to lead 18-6 at half-time in a match that produced virtually no momentum due to countless reset scrums, penalties and unforced errors.
Success for Lions raised the season total to 18 points, two more than Sharks after six matches.
Late pressure in an attempt to score a third try and secure a bonus point failed for the Lions, while fly-half Elton Jantjies finished one point short of 500 in Super Rugby.
Jantjies contributed 14 points from a conversion and four penalties, while missing one shot at goal in perfect kicking conditions.
A pushover try from lock Andries Ferreira and another from close range by centre Lionel Mapoe completed the Lions' total.
Sharks fly-half Joe Pietersen slotted three penalties for a perfect goal-kicking record on the day.
After keeping Sharks at bay early on, Lions took a 14th-minute lead when Ferreira dotted down. Jantjies converted and added two penalties for a 13-point advantage.
Pietersen trimmed the deficit with his first penalty, before Mapoe swivelled to score and Jantjies failed to convert, the only blot on his kicking copybook.
Tighthead prop Lourens Adriaanse replaced the struggling Coenie Oosthuizen and a second Pietersen penalty left Sharks 12 points adrift at half-time.
Hopes of a more entertaining second half failed to materialise as the scrum interruptions and penalties continued and only nine points were scored.
A Pietersen penalty took Sharks within nine points of Lions, before Jantjies kicked two penalties.
