The Emirates Lions produced a powerful and stylish response to the question marks swept in by two successive defeats as a dominant first half blew away the Jaguares and set up 47-39 victory in their Vodacom Super Rugby match in Johannesburg on Saturday afternoon.

The Lions roared to a 47-13 lead at one point early in the second half so it wasn’t a perfect day for them in the sense that they allowed the Jaguares to come back to respectability with four late tries. In so doing, the Lions surrendered a try scoring bonus point that at one stage looked certain. Indeed, the Jaguares came close to grabbing a consolation bonus point themselves, and would have done it had it not been for the way they rushed the conversion for the penultimate try.

But while there is a caveat in the sense that the Jaguares made 11 changes for this match in what looks like an obvious intent to target next week’s clash with the Stormers, it was an overwhelmingly positive response from the Lions to the criticisms that followed their defeats to the Stormers and particularly the Bulls.

The Lions scored seven tries and while their defensive work did let them down what was particularly encouraging for both them and South African rugby was that the rousing first half performance and the attendant ominous message sounded to future opponents was achieved with a team loaded with inexperienced youngsters.

Trade the word inexperienced though with promise, for that was what the Emirates Airlines Park saw from their team. It was a day when the Lions underlined their depth, with centre Wandisile Simelane the headline act on a day when new blindside flanker Vincent Tshituka, locks Ruan Vermaak and Rhyno Herbst and tighthead Carlu Sadie also all sizzled in their respective roles.

Only the future, and matches against different opposition, will tell us whether the loose trio, which in addition to Tshituka also featured the irrepressible Kwagga Smith and trojan-like Marnus Schoeman, is perhaps a little on the light side. None of the players weigh in at more than 100 kilograms.

But on the fast highveld surface and playing behind a dominant tight five, the pacy and skilful trio were in their element and completely justified coach Swys de Bruin’s selection. Their superb interplay with the big men in front of them and the talented men behind them ensured that the Jaguares were at full stretch for most of the match.

TIGHT FORWARDS

Let’s though go back to the subject of the tight forwards. The Lions pack copped the most criticism after last week’s lame performance against the Bulls, and it is a long time since a Lions pack has looked so impotent. Well, they responded to that criticism with what could be described with a first half scrumming tidal wave.

They say defence is about attitude. So is scrumming. And in the first scrum, in a defensive position near the left corner flag following a Lions mistake from the kick-off, the Lions eight made their first statement as they pushed the Jaguares off the ball and won the penalty.

The next scrum was the same. It set the tone for the match, and as the Jaguares kept giving away penalties and also metres to the Lions maul, so the hosts picked up momentum. The message writ large was that this was the way to set a game up, and when a short pass from Elton Jantjies linked with the good running line of lock Herbst it set up a converted try that got the Lions train moving forward in the 15th minute.

There was a penalty to the Jaguares that brought back three points for the visitors, but the Lions were the dominant team. In the 23rd minute skipper Malcolm Marx broke off a lineout drive near the Jaguares line and found himself isolated, but was able to transfer the ball and the powerful Smith carried the attack on before putting Jantjies over the line. The Lions flyhalf had earlier notched his 1000th Super Rugby point with the conversion, so his first try of the season, and 10th in the competition, took him to 1007 with the conversion.

The third Lions try came off a move that started in their own half after they had turned around what had been a good Jaguares maul. Simelane, who was playing confidently and proving a real thorn in the side of the Jaguares after a nervous start, featured strongly with his great pass in the tackle to the blindside flank Tshituka and Smith was given the modicum of space down the left touchline that he needed to beat the cover defenders and complete a spectacular try.

We know Simelane is a class act after seeing him in the Currie Cup but in this game he proved he may be much closer to the gem he can become than we initially thought. He was a constant threat to the Jaguares with his running but he also showed great touches with his passing and support game. He was a deserved recipient of the official man of the match award.

The Jaguares showed they weren't going to lie down when replacement wing Ramiro Mayona then ran onto a brilliantly judged cross kick from his flyhalf to score the first Jaguares try. On for Emiliano Bofelli, who left the field with what looked like a hip injury, Mayona still had a bit to do when he picked up the ball and did well to reach out and touch down.

IMMEDIATE RESPONSE

The Lions immediately responded through a wonderful try from Simelane, who struck off a turn-over to run two thirds of the length of the field for the try that made it 26-8.

If there was a blight on the Lions’ performance other than the way they appeared to go to sleep from about the hour mark it was their average defence of the Jaguares driving maul. The Argentinian side exploited that avenue of attack for the try that hooker Julian Montoya scored to cut the halftime deficit to 13 points (26-13).

It was an interesting score though and a point of a separate debate to be had away from this game - the TMO was consulted as the referee wasn’t sure the ball had been dotted down on the line. He informed the TMO that if it wasn’t a try, he’d award a penalty try. As it turned out, the try was good, but the Jaguares might have been happier with the penalty try as these days a penalty try is an automatic seven pointer.

As it turned out, the angled conversion was missed, and those two points missed were the difference between the Jaguares getting a bonus point and going home empty handed.

Not that it appeared hugely relevant at the time, as the Lions were completely in control, and were more so when soon after the restart flanker Schoeman scored his fourth try of the season and fourth against the Jaguares (he scored a hattrick against them in the opening game).

Schoeman then effected an excellent break in his own half and there was an impressive carry from Tshituka that led to Courtnall Skosan’s first try of the season. The wing soon added a second when he ran onto a Jantjies cross-kick.

That was it though for the Lions when it came to points scoring and it was all the Jaguares after that. It took away a bit of the gloss, but it shouldn’t obscure the central message that the Lions are back on track and have strength in depth.

SCORES

Emirates Lions 47- Tries: Courtnall Skosan 2, Rhyno Herbst, Elton Jantjies, Kwagga Smith, Wandisile Simelane and Marnus Schoeman; Conversions: Elton Jantjies 6.

Jaguares 39 - Tries: Julian Montoya 2, Ramiro Moyana, Gaspar Baldunciel, Matias Moroni and Joaquin Tuculet; Conversions: Joaquin Diaz Bonilla and Juan Cruz Mallia 2; Penalty: Joaquin Diaz Bonilla.