Rugby: Lions close on table-topping Crusaders with Ellis Park rampage

Elton Jantjies of the Lions during the Super Rugby match against Sunwolves. Photo/Getty Images

South Africa's Lions showed their entire array of skills to batter the Sunwolves into submission with a thumping 94-7 Super Rugby victory at Ellis Park.

The Lions ran in a record-equalling 14 tries, as they picked apart the dismal defence of the visitors, who will have plenty of soul-searching to do.

Wing Ruan Combrinck scored a hat-trick for the hosts, to go with braces for loose forwards Jaco Kriel and Kwagga Smith.

Remarkably, none of the 101 points scored came from penalties.

The victory moves the Lions to 61 points from 14 games - two behind the Crusaders, the overall leaders - with one round remaining, as they seek the top spot that would give them a home run in the knockout stages.

The Lions were utterly dominant in the scrum, as they pushed the Sunwolves off their own ball on two occasions in the first half, and from the first of those halfback Ross Cronje grabbed the opening try.

The physicality of the home side was too much for the meek Sunwolves, who conceded one of the softest tries seen in Super Rugby all season shortly afterwards.

Kriel picked up the ball on the 22-metre line and powered through seven Sunwolves tackles to go over for the try.

Sensing blood, given their dominant opening 20 minutes, the Lions then ran a ball from inside their own 22 with an excellent move that ended with Smith scoring the try.

Smith then added another and five-eighth Elton Jantjies got in on the action, as the home side went into halftime leading 35-0.

The carnage continued in the second period, with hooker Armand van der Merwe finishing another rampaging Lions attack, before Combrink broke the Sunwolves line far too easily to score.

The visitors were flailing and from the kick-off, the Lions launched another savage attack that saw Kriel grab his second, before Combrink was put into space by a long pass and crossed easily for a ninth try inside an hour.

There was a brief reprieve, when Uwe Helu scored under the posts for the Sunwolves, but within minutes, the Lions had stretched their lead through Courtnall Skosan.

Faf de Klerk, Sylvian Mahuza and Ruan Ackermann all touched down, before Combrink completed the rout with his hat-trick.

-AAP