Jordan Hendrikse kicked 10 points as the Lions beat the Sharks for the second time this season in a weather-affected six-try win in Johannesburg on Saturday.

The start of the second stanza at Ellis Park was delayed by 40 minutes due to torrential rain and thunderstorms, with the Lions leading 19-10, but the home side put on a strong showing in the last quarter to secure a bonus-point 40-10 victory in the Vodacom URC clash.

The Johannesburgers edged the Sharks in Durban in round 8 of the competition, with John Plumtree’s men still winless against SA rivals in the 2023-24 campaign after 10 defeats of 11 matches.

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Three first-half tries from scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba, flanker JC Pretorius and fullback Quan Horn and two conversions from Hendrikse powered the hosts in front, while five points from the boot of flyhalf Siya Masuku and a try on debut for right winger Eduan Keyter kept the visitors within touching distance at the break.

The Sharks lost skipper Bongi Mbonambi to the sin-bin for collapsing a maul after the restart but managed the numerical disadvantage well, before replacement Conrad van Vuuren barged over for the Lions’ fourth try inside the final quarter.

Fellow substitutes Erich Cronje and Hanru Sirgel dotted down to add the finishing touches to an emphatic win for Ivan van Rooyen’s charges.

The URC takes a two-week break and when the competition returns on the weekend of 22 and 23 March, the Sharks host Ulster at Kings Park while the Lions tackle Connacht in Galway.

Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images

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