The Lions ran riot in the second half of Saturday’s URC match against the Ospreys at Ellis Park to claim a bonus-point win.
Ivan van Rooyen’s men turned a 12-10 half-time deficit into a 35-19 victory, scoring five tries after the break and six in total.
It was a bruising start in Joburg with both sides fighting for momentum.
Flyhalf Chris Smith broke the deadlock after 10 minutes with a penalty goal before winger Erich Cronjé continued his fine form, finishing well in the corner. Smith converted to give the Lions a 10-0 lead.
Erich Cronje is red-hot for the 10Bet Lions
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The Lions were sloppy at the lineout, multiple overthrows handing the Ospreys a foothold in the match. The visitors kept fighting and were rewarded when centre Kieran Williams forced his way over and flyhalf Dan Edwards converted.
The Welsh club continued to apply pressure after the half-time hooter and hooker Efan Daniel powered over from a strong maul.
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The Lions came out firing after the restart, the set-piece settling as the hosts took control.
Hooker PJ Botha, replacement prop Morné Brandon and fullback Boeta Chamberlain all crossed the whitewash in quick succession to secure the bonus point and extend the lead to 25-12 in the third quarter.
The crosskick causes Ospreys problems
Boeta Chamberlain scores his first-ever try for the 10Bet Lions
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It got worse for the Ospreys when Edwards was shown a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on the hour mark.
The Lions made the one-man advantage count when a powerful scrum laid the platform for a Smith cross-kick, releasing winger Kelly Mpeku out wide. Mpeku then jogged over for his second minutes later after centre Ethan Adams turned the ball over at the breakdown.
The 10Bet Lions are putting Ospreys to the sword
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The Ospreys searched for a consolation try and found it through the maul, with replacement loose forward Ross Moriarty dotting down.
The result sees the Lions claim back-to-back home wins, having beaten Leinster 27-26 last week.
In round three, they travel to Pretoria for the Jukskei derby against the Bulls while the Ospreys face the Dragons in Newport.
LIONS – Tries: Erich Cronjé, PJ Botha, Morné Brandon, Boeta Chamberlain, Kelly Mpeku (2). Conversion: Chris Smith. Penalty: Smith.
OSPREYS – Tries: Kieran Williams, Efan Daniel, Ross Moriarty. Conversions: Dan Edwards (2).
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
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The Lions ran riot in the second half of Saturday’s URC match against the Ospreys at Ellis Park to claim a bonus-point win.
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