By Lucky Maree
Go down to the Pirates Rugby Club in Joburg on a wintery Tuesday night. Sit on the veranda with a cold beer and a pretty serviceable hamburger.
Watch the Lions third team play a light practice match against the fourth team. That’s what it feels like, watching the Golden Lions play the Griffons at the virtually deserted Emirates Airline Park.
The interesting aspect of this match is how the young Lions will respond after the revelation during the week that Lions’ Operations Manager Tracy van Ginkel has taken to storming into the men’s change room at inopportune moments. “There is nothing that I haven’t seen before,” she has allegedly said.
It takes only three minutes for Marquit September to score the Griffons’ first try after woeful defence from the Lions.
The Lions score a try through Sibusiso Sangweni and the Griffons respond with a forward pushover try with Dandre Delport getting the credit.
After 30 minutes the Lions have lost 20 minutes through two yellow cards.
Just before halftime, Stean Pienaar scores for the Lions. The Griffons go into halftime with an 11 point lead.
After 15 minutes in the second half, referee Morne Ferreira handed out his third yellow card of the match, sending Griffons captain Duan Pretorius to the bin. One minute later Ferreira does it again. The fourth yellow card leaves the Griffons with 13 players.
The Lions immediately score the inevitable forward try through Nico Steyn. Steyn gets a second after a minute as he goes through the huge gap where the defenders should have been. The scores are even and there is still 20 minutes to go.
With all Griffons players back on the field, Steyn scores his hat trick try with ten minutes to go. The Griffons seem to be running out of steam as Reynard Roets goes over after good handling by the Lions team.
Tragically, there are no more than 100 people on the stands for the match. How many people watched the match on TV is anybody’s guess.
What we have found out is that the Lions’ third team is better than the Griffons’ first team – helped along by two pasella tries playing against 13 players.
Lions (6 tries) 41-26 (2 tries) Griffons.
Pictured above: Lions running through past the Griffons
Image source: Currie Cup
