Bulls hold off ferocious Lions fightback to win Currie Cup thriller

The Bulls held off a ferocious Lions fightback ton win their Currie Cup clash 43-37 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.

AS IT HAPPENED | Bulls v Lions

It was an entertaining game that saw the Bulls score six tries and the Lions five.

Bulls 43 (35)

Tries: Lizo Gqoboka, Bismarck du Plessis, David Kriel, Janko Swanepoel, Stedman Gans, Richard Kriel

Conversions: Juan Mostert (4), Keagan Johannes

Penalty: Johannes

Lions 37 (17)

Try: Ruben Schoeman, Burger Odendaal, Francke Horn, Jordan Hendrikse, Sibusiso Sangweni

Conversions: Hendrikse (3)

Penalties: Hendrikse (2)

The Bulls completely dominated the first period, running the Lions off their feet on several occasions. They led 35-10 shortly before half-time, before Lions skipper Burger Odendaal crossed on the stroke of the interval to reduce the damage to 35-17.

The Lions came out with vigour in the second stanza and took charge of matters. They scored three tries in the second half and sniffed blood when they trailed only 38-34 with eight minutes remaining.

Flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse's long-range penalty reduced the scoreline to 38-37 with four minutes remaining.

However, after a strong attack by the Bulls, the Lions committed "suicide" when they tried to run the ball from inside their own goalline area. After a few risky passes, Odendaal threw the ball straight into Richard Kriel's hands as the replacement back dotted down in rather comical circumstances.

A moment to forget for Burger Odendaal ??‍??He won't want to see this again as his pass on his own tryline goes straight into the hands of the Bulls to hand them a 43-37 win ??#CarlingCurrieCup pic.twitter.com/aTKWHHi5zj

There were two minutes left for the Lions to snatch victory, but the Bulls hung on for a vital win that saw them