Lions put telling bite on Blues

So, the Lions' earlier success against South African opposition in the Super 15 was no fluke.

That much is clear after they edged the Blues 39-36 in a thriller at Ellis Park on Saturday.

They did not throw as many punches as the former Super rugby heavyweights, but they landed the more telling blows.

They again defied the odds by absorbing everything the error-ridden Blues threw at them in the first half, before hanging on grimly in the face of a swashbuckling assault in the closing stages.

It was the Lions' third win from five starts, which elevated them to second place in the South African conference and fourth behind the Sharks, Chiefs and Brumbies on the combined log.

The Lions may not possess the most potent attack, or the most watertight defence, but they operate as a unit and unflinchingly commit to both disciplines when the occasion demands it.

Then there is the boot of flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff, which has been the biggest contributing factor to their unexpected place on the log.

He added 24 more points to his tally and extended his lead on the Super 15 individual points scoring list. He has scored 94 points from five matches and is a staggering 40 points clear of Johan Goosen, who is in second place.

Boshoff has converted all eight of the Lions' tries in the competition but has set himself apart by converting seven more penalties and four more dropped goals than anybody else.

"His confidence is obviously very high," acknowledged Lions coach Johan Ackermann.

"His decision-making is good ... when to kick for the corner, when to run or to go for the drop goal. It's great when a player is that confident because he gives that confidence to the rest of the team."

Much of the Lions' success against the Blues was built on their first-half toil.

"The pressure we kept on them in the first half was outstanding," gushed captain Warren Whiteley.

"We knew by their body language that things could change," said Ackermann. "In the second half we could reap the rewards in the scrums and the line-outs."

While disappointed at the way his team misfired in the first half, Blues coach John Kirwan was generous in his praise of the Lions.

"You have to give credit to the Lions. They play with enthusiasm. We didn't deserve to win because we made too many mistakes in the first half. But I was really proud of the boys for that fightback," Kirwan said of a second-half effort that yielded 36 points.