Blues 55 Lions 10

A peerless performance by flyhalf Nick Evans earned the Blues a comprehensive 55-10 win over the Lions in their Super 14 match in Johannesburg.

Evans scored a try, engineered several others and converted all of his place kicks for a personal haul of 25 points.

Helped by an inept South African defence that missed 21 tackles, the New Zealand visitors ran in seven tries.

The Lions' only reply was a converted try and a penalty.

The Blues struck as early as the seventh minute when they won a scrum on halfway and spun the ball leftward for Evans to put in a telling break.

Lock Kurtis Haiu used the recycled possession to muscle through the defence and score.

Evans scored the Blues' second try in the 21st minute after centre Isaia Toeava broke from halfway and found the halfback with an inside pass.

Three minutes later flanker Jerome Kaino sped in from the Lions' 22 metres line to score the visitors' third and put them 24-3 ahead after Evans and Louis Strydom had traded penalties.

The Blues earned their bonus point in the 33rd minute when they swarmed through the Lions' flagging defence and sent fullback Isa Nacewa away to score for a 31-3 halftime lead.

Three minutes into the second half, number eight Nick Williams burst through a slew of poor tackles to score.

A lull followed as the Blues showed their opposition mercy, but with 15 minutes to go replacement Rudi Wulf barrelled over in the left-hand corner for try number six.

Haiu claimed his second in the 72nd minute after strong running by centre Benson Stanley to take the Blues past 50 points.

Replacement Jaco van Schalkwyk scythed through a gap to score the Lions' consolation try in the dying moments of the match with Chris Jonck converting.

BLUES 55 (Kurtis Haiu 2, Nick Evans, Jerome Kaino, Isa Nacewa, Nick Williams, Rudi Wulf tries, Evans 7 cons, 2 pens) bt LIONS 10 (Jaco van Schalkwyk try, Louis Strydom pen, Earl Rose con) at Ellis Park, Johannesburg.

Reuters