Lions scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba produced a brilliant man-of-the-match performance to help stun the Bulls to a 29-25 (23-13 half-time) United Rugby Championship (URC) win at Loftus on Saturday evening.
Nohamba scored 24 of the Lions 29 points, as he slotted five penalties, two conversions and scored a try in an action packed performance from number nine.
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It also broke a 10-match losing streak against the South African franchise, which was backed up by the Lions breaking URC’s five-match losing streak against the Glasgow Warriors last weekend.
The match started with both kickers in early action, when Bulls flyhalf Morne Steyn got his team on the board, then Nohamba drew the scores level at 3-all after six minutes.
A fantastic 12-minute period of dominance was followed by the visitors as they took a commanding lead.
First the Lions started an attack from inside their own half and worked the space down the line where a good hand found fullback Quan Horn in space, with the man drawing the defender and realizing the left wing Edwill van der Merwe to open in the score converted under the post.
Nohamba then beat 17Th minute penalty, followed by the scrumhalf superbly catching the Bulls napping, after the penalty just outside the hosts 22m quickly tapped allowing him to run in untouched for another converted score to give the Lions a 20-3 lead after 24 minutes.
The Bulls finally snapped into action and four minutes later, good play from the forward in the Lions 22m gained some space for the ball to swing down the line where full-back Wandisile Simelane scored in the corner, as Steyn watched the conversion attempt. fall short.
Nohamba’s good form with the boot continued with another successful shot on goal in the 32ndn.d minutes to move the Lions up 23-8.
But it was the Bulls who ended the half well when they returned to the Lions 22m, where Steyn produced a long-awaited cross for Sbu Nkosi to put in the corner as the hosts entered the half-hour break after 10. point.
The second half started with the Bulls on the front foot and reduced the deficit to five points when a attack in the Lions 22m saw the ball cleared, with wing Sibongile Novuka doing well to keep the ball with his own toes in front, allowing Simelane to score his second try.
The Bulls were now on top and they regained the lead for the first time since the sixth minute, kicking a penalty into the corner and stealing through, with Johan Grobbelaar’s hooker dotting down and Steyn nailing the conversion at the fourth try to take a 25-23 lead after 62 minutes.
But the Lions struck back with two more Nohamba penalties to put them back in front 29-25 after 69 minutes.
A torrid finish followed, with the Bulls having one last chance to sneak a line-out win at the Lions 22m, but after a huge attack took them to the tryline, the Lions were able to make a quick stop to secure a historic victory. .
Goal scorer
Bulls: Try – Wandisile Simelane (2), Sbu Nkosi, Johan Grobbelaar; Conversion – Morne Steyn; Penalty – Steyn
Lions: Try – Edwill van der Merwe, Sanele Nohamba; Conversion – Nohamba (2); Penalty – Walk (5)