The Golden Lions showed that they will mean business this season after their full-strength side overpowered the Blue Bulls 57-33 at Midstream College in Olifantsfontein on Friday evening to move to the top of the Currie Cup log.
It was rather appropriate that the match was played at a school as the Lions and Bulls put up a festival-style feast of attacking rugby, scoring 13 tries in total to entertain the excited crowd as the visitors moved up to 38 points on the standings, one ahead of the Bulls.
After the Lions opted to select players who are their mainstays in the United Rugby Championship, it was a question about whether they would click in what is effectively their first pre-season match, or whether the Bulls continuity from their Currie Cup side would reign supreme.
But it was clear from the outside that the Johannesburg outfit would be far superior in physicality, intensity, pace, power and cohesion as they steam-rolled the men from Pretoria.
The Bulls were disrupted before the game as captain Nizaam Carr withdrew with an illness, and his replacement at openside flank, Cyle Brink, proceeded to drop the opening kickoff.
