Tambwe stars in Lions victory
2019-07-13
Wing Madosh Tambwe scored four tries as the Xerox Golden Lions began their 2019 Currie Cup campaign with a thrilling 38-37 win against the Pumas in Johannesburg on Saturday.
In a helter-skelter affair a youthful Lions side was made to work for this victory against the high-flying Pumas eager to show their mettle.
Trailing by three at the break, the hosts needed a surging second-half performance to overcome the Pumas. And while they couldn’t prevent the visitors from scoring freely, the Lions simply outscored them to get the desired result.
It was a Tambwe show of four impressive tries, one either side of a second Pumas touchdown as the sides were locked at 14-14 with half time approaching. But a penalty by Marais gave the visitors a slender three-point advantage at the break.
Immediately after the restart, Tyrone Green dotted down to edge the Lions ahead. However, the Pumas scored 20 unanswered points to take a commanding 37-21 lead heading into the last 15 minutes.
From there, it seemed as if the Pumas might cruise to victory, but the Lions came roaring back as Tambwe and Shaun Reynolds scored three tries between them to secure a smash-and-grab win.
Lions – Tries: Madosh Tambwe (4), Tyrone Green, Shaun Reynolds. Conversions: Reynolds (4).
Annemie Bester