The Lions proved their upward curve in the Rainbow Cup is no fluke by ending the Bulls' unbeaten run with an excellent 34-33 victory at Ellis Park on Saturday.
As it happened | Rainbow Cup - Lions v Bulls
For the fourth successive time, Jake White's troops were seriously discomforted by their neighbours and, belatedly, translated that into something tangible.
The Lions were typically competitive at the breakdowns even if they had momentary hitches, scrummed solidly and, vitally, stood up brilliantly in the collisions, which is a feather in their cap given how the Bulls are renowned as the power specialists in the local game currently.
That was evident as early as the fifth minute, when the Lions built some good momentum on the back of effective phase play, leading to lock Ruben Schoeman barging over from close range.
The lack of concentration that plagued them previously threatened to haunt them again as the Bulls struck back through tries by blindsider Elrigh Louw and fullback David Kriel.
But the hosts found inspiration in the notably hasty winger Rabz Maxwane, who scored a sensational try, brilliantly serving past the hulking Duane Vermeulen before chipping over Kriel and re-gathering.
Again, the Bulls perceived composure seemed to shine as Vermeulen made up with a thumping hit on Lions pivot Jordan Hendrikse, a turnover that saw wing and former Lion Madosh Tambwe gallop towards the try-line.
Hendrikse's second penalty handed the home side a narrow 20-19 lead at half-time though their chances seemed to have evaporated by a four-minute Bulls blitz, where Tambwe's twinkle toes proved instrumental in tries for Kriel and flyhalf Chris Smith.
However, those scores were actually a microcosm for the men from Loftus' performance.
It lacked cohesion and suggested that they relied on fleeting moments of brilliance instead of establishing their familiar platform.
In contrast, the Lions took control in the final quarter, getting back into the frame through a try from a line-out for nippy flanker MJ Pelser, before they tightened the screws through their powerful scrum, allowing replacement flyhalf Fred Zeilinga to score the clincher.
It was no less than the hosts deserved.
Point scorers:
Lions - 34 (20)
Tries: Ruben Schoeman, Rabz Maxwane, MJ Pelser, Fred Zeilinga
Conversions: Jordan Hendrikse (3)
Penalties: Hendrikse (2)
Bulls - 33 (19)
Tries: David Kriel (2), Elrigh Louw, Madosh Tambwe, Chris Smith
Conversions: Smith (4)
Teams:
Lions
15 EW Viljoen, 14 Rabz Maxwane, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Burger Odendaal (captain), 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Andre Warner, 8 Len Massyn, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 MJ Pelser, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Carlu Sadie, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Sti Sithole
Substitutes: 16 PJ Botha, 17 Ruan Dreyer, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Willem Alberts, 20 Emmanuel Tshituka, 21 Morne van den Berg, 22 Fred Zeilinga, 23 Manuel Rass
Bulls
15 David Kriel, 14 Madosh Tambwe , 13 Marco Jansen van Vuren, 12 Cornal Hendricks, 11 James Verity-Amm, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Duane Vermeulen (captain), 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Lizo Gqoboka
Substitutes: 16 Schalk Erasmus, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Janko Swanepoel, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Clinton Swart, 23 Stravino Jacobs