Africa-Press – South-Africa. Lions scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba channelled the old Sharks form that brought him to national prominence after he scored 24 points to help his team stun the Bulls 29-25 at Loftus on Saturday.
Nohamba has certainly been through his ups and downs in his relatively young professional rugby career. He went from being a dead-certain Springbok to getting a call up with no Test cap before dropping so far down the pecking order he had to leave Durban to get game time in Johannesburg.
But before the wheels fell off for the 24-year-old, he was an all-action Energizer bunny that could pass, kick out of hand and for goal, which made him a prized asset, even as a Junior Springbok.
AS IT HAPPENED | Bulls v Lions
Now resurrected under Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen – who apparently isn’t getting a tune out of his players – Nohamba displayed all the qualities that had the country talking him up as a probable Springbok.
He was dashing, daring and distributed well to keep the Lions in good positions, especially in the first half. In the second, his two penalties were all the Lions needed to claim the win.
Nohamba scored a try, five penalties in total and converted both Lions tries for a near-flawless display.
After Morne Steyn and Nohamba traded penalties to start the game, Lions wing Edwill van der Merwe used his jet shoes to speed past Embrose Papier for the first try of the match before showing off his dancing shoes in the celebration.
The score left the Bulls somewhat stunned, like a boxer who survived a first round count to stagger back to their feet.
Nohamba, who was clearly up for the game, tapped quickly from a penalty while the Bulls looked bemused to score an easy second Lions try 24 minutes in. The Bulls looked like they were riding on the wrong bus in a foreign city; lost.
Only until fullback Wandisile Simelane scored their first try after half-an-hour did the Bulls resemble a home team playing in front of a decent Loftus crowd.
In the same left-hand corner seven minutes later, Sbu Nkosi collected a delightful Morne Steyn kick-pass to score not just the Bulls’ second of the match but his second since returning to the field following his highly publicised mental health break.
The Lions took a 23-13 half-time lead into the tunnel but it felt a far more tenuous advantage than it did earlier in the half, as the Joburgers’ momentum started to fizzle quicker than Eno in a glass of water.
Indeed, the Bulls started the second half brighter, if not as fluid as they usually are against their cross-Jukskei foe.
Wing Sibongile Novuka put a brilliant touchline “soccer through-pass” to put Simelane in for his second try of the match and the Bulls’ third. The Bulls only trailed because Steyn’s boot was uncharacteristically scattergun.
The game descended into a lull before the Bull rose up in the 62nd-minute after reverting to type, a Johan Grobbelaar score from the back of 5m lineout drive. That move earned them profitable returns last season for the URC finalists.
They took the lead for the first time since Steyn’s early penalty as the veteran flyhalf slotted in his first conversion from four attempts.
Nohamba then slotted a couple of penalties to take his personal tally for the match to 25 after the Lions regained the lead and added some change with the score at 29-25 towards the death.
Some heroic defending after the 80-minute mark to prevent another Bulls bulldozing maul was needed to give the Lions a rare Loftus victory.
Scorers:
Bulls 25 (13)
Tries: Wandisile Simelane (2), Sbu Nkosi, Johan Grobbelaar
Conversion: Morne Steyn
Penalty: Morne Steyn
Lions 29 (23)
Tries: Edwill van der Merwe, Sanele Nohamba
Conversions: Sanele Nohamba (2)
Penalties: Sanele Nohamba (5)
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