This was surely the most South African moment in rugby history
It is hard to know what is a better sight for maul enthusiasts- a ten man maul or a team repelling a ten man maul. Either way, it is a cornucopia of mauling and something that is as South African as rugby comes.
It is no surprise then that such a maul took place in a South African derby between the Lions and the Sharks at Ellis Park on Saturday. The Lions set up the maul the Sharks’ 22 early in the second half when the scores were tied 7-7, and the plan was obviously to drive their way over the line from 20 metres out. To do this winger Edwill van der Merwe and centre Marius Louw joined in on the action to form a pretty beastly unit.
The Sharks’ maul defence was impenetrable though, and they were able to repel the Lions with just three players at times to earn a turnover. This maul more or less summed up the match, as the Sharks were able to withhold whatever the Lions threw at them before pulling away in the second half to earn a 29-7 win. That left the Sharks in seventh place in the URC ahead of a home fixture with Ulster this Saturday.
Take a look at the maul:
Technique 🤌🏽😂 pic.twitter.com/AhLOpt0CNM
— DummySwitchPod (@DummySwitchPod) February 22, 2023
Emirates Lions: Quan Horn, Rabz Maxwane, Manuel Rass, Marius Louw (CAPT), Edwill van der Merwe, Gianni Lombard, Morne van den Berg, JP Smith, PJ Botha, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Willem Alberts, Ruben Schoeman, Jaco Kriel, Ruan Venter, Emmanuel Tshituka
Replacements: Michael van Vuuren, Morgan Naude, Ruan Dreyer, Ruan Delport, Sibusiso Sangweni, Ruhan Straeuli, Sanele Nohamba, Rynhardt Jonker
Cell C Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Werner Kok, Francois Venter, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Thaakir Abrahams, Curwin Bosch, Grant Williams, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Dan Jooste, Carlu Sadie, Reniel Hugo, Gerbrandt Grobler, James Venter, Henco Venter, Phepsi Buthelezi (CAPT)
Replacements: Fez Mbatha, Dian Bleuler, Hanro Jacobs, Vincent Tshituka, Dylan Richardson, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Cameron Wright, Ben Tapuai
