Lions roar back to stun inconsistent Rebels

Lions’ Warwick Tecklenburg tries to stop Melbourne Rebels’ captain Scott Higginbotham breaking from the scrum during their Super Rugby match in Melbourne yesterday.

Reuters/MelbourneLionel Mapoe crossed for a match-winning try in the 78th minute as the Lions of South Africa fought back from 13-0 down to beat the inconsistent Melbourne Rebels 20-16 in Super Rugby yesterday. The Rebels (2-3) only had themselves to blame for the loss in front of their home supporters, with flyhalf Mike Harris missing three crucial kicks as the Lions recorded only their second win in six games this season. It looked like another road defeat for the South African conference’s perennial basement dwellers when centre Mitch Inman and fullback Jonah Placid put the Rebels 13-0 ahead with tries in the first 12 minutes after an early Harris penalty. But those were the last points the Rebels would score for almost an hour as they failed to make the most of having the travel-weary Lions on the rack. Elton Jantjies put the Lions on the board with a late penalty at the end of the first half to make it 13-3, with flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff closing the gap further four minutes after the break with the Lions’ first try. Jantjies converted and levelled the scores at 13-13 with a second penalty in the 61st minute before Harris ended the Rebels’ drought with another three pointer to edge the hosts back in front. Both sides missed further kicks at goal as the Rebels looked set to record rare back-to-back victories only for the Lions to snatch it through Mapoe at the death. Elsewhere, the Wellington Hurricanes held off a late charge from the Otago Highlanders to secure a 20-13 victory in Dunedin yesterday and extend their winning streak to a club-record five matches. The win means the Hurricanes are the only Super 15 side still undefeated after five rounds, confirming they are a threat under new coach Chris Boyd as they chase a maiden title. They scored two tries to one against the in-form Highlanders, who had won their three previous matches, including victory over reigning champions the NSW Waratahs last week. Given the quality of the sides, the match was a dour affair that only came to life in the final 20 minutes, when Otago were trailing 6-13 and scrambling for a late breakthrough. Hurricanes captain Conrad Smith said he was happy with a win but would remain grounded despite the early season success. “We showed some mettle out there when we needed it, I was proud of the way we fought it out,” he said. “The Hurricanes have never won five in a row, it’s taken us 20 years but we’ve still got a lot we want to achieve and this is just a step in the right direction.” The game started surprisingly slowly considering the attacking options available to both sides, with the Hurricanes’ backline boasting no fewer than six All Blacks. It was just 3-3 at the break after a scrappy first half as each side butchered try opportunities, with the Hurricanes held up on the line and the Highlanders penalised for obstruction.  The Hurricanes dominated territory 64% to 34 through the likes of powerhouse winger Julian Savea but allowed attacks to falter through handling errors and penalties. Wellington finally breached the Highlanders’ line after 49 minutes, relying on solid work up the middle for prop Reggie Goodes’ try rather than their trademark slick passing.