A three-try burst in the opening 20 minutes laid the foundation for the Vodacom Bulls U-20s as they overcame a resolute Fidelity ADT Lions side 43-40 to win the SA Under-20 Cup at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon.
It was a triumph for dogged defence and keen attack as the Vodacom Bulls scored six tries in sweltering conditions.
At one point they raced into a 26-5 lead, but the Lions, feeding off a powerful scrum, drew as close as 29-26. The Vodacom Bulls weren’t quite able to shake them off as they mounted surge upon surge with the match always in the balance.
It was impressive captain Kebotile Maake who set the example for the home side, rampaging through for two tries and proving an all-round nuisance with his in-your-face running and tackling style.
Captain Fantastic – Kebotile Maake.
The Lions, meanwhile, had prolific hooker Mahle Sithole to thank for keeping them in the hunt. He was a menace in the tight-loose and near impossible to stop as his hat-trick of scores confirmed.
The Vodacom Bulls had to largely play second fiddle in the scrums, forcing early changes up front, but they hung in manfully and kept their heads against their local rivals.
Every time when it seemed as if the Lions might be swamped, they roared back, chiefly through their powerful maul, which caused the hosts all sorts of problems.
Thankfully Ruben Pienaar, the flyhalf, was on song. He added to his season count of 41 conversions with five more and weighed in with a dropped goal for good measure to end as the table-topping points scorer (108 in all).
Having come through the Cup with 10 wins in their 11 fixtures, the Vodacom Bulls may feel they deserved to win, but the Lions made them fight all the way, ensuring the sweetest victory of all.
