02-26-2019, 04:04 AM
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- The Lions extended their unexpectedly bright start to Super Rugby when they beat the Blues 39-36 for the first time since 2006 in a see-saw battle at Ellis Park on Saturday. Although the hosts were outscored five tries to three by the team from Auckland, Marnitz Boshoff landed four penalties and two dropped goals to give them their third win in five games since returning to the competition. The Lions missed out on Super Rugby in 2013 when they lost their place to the Southern Kings, and were expected to struggle after earning their way back into the tournament through a playoff victory. However Saturdays win put them fourth in the standings, while the Blues were 13th after a third loss in four games. The first half belonged entirely to the Lions, as they bounced into the break with a 17-0 lead. After the game had gone scoreless for the first 30 minutes, Blues prop Charlie Faumuina was yellow carded for collapsing a maul close to his own tryline, and two minutes later scrum-half Francois de Klerk capitalized on the numerical advantage to score the games first try. Boshoff added the conversion and a dropped goal, before Courtnall Skosan went over on the stroke of half-time gave the Lions a significant advantage. Boshoff added a penalty after the break to push the gap to 20 points, and the Blues earned a second yellow card when Tom Donnelly failed to use his arms whilst clearing out a ruck. However when the lock returned, the Blues came roaring back into the match with two tries in three minutes to narrow the deficit to eight points. Coenie van Wyks try with 20 minutes remaining gave the Lions some breathing room, but the Blues kept coming and Frank Halai held off a defender to score under the posts moments later. Boshoffs penalty made it 33-22 with 10 minutes to play, only for centre George Moalas converted try to put the Blues within four points. However a couple of penalties from Boshoff made the game safe, ensuring that Benji Marshalls 80th minute try gave the Blues no more than a losing bonus point. ------ Lions 39 (Francois de Klerk, Courtnall Skosan, Coenie van Wyk tries; Marnitz Boshoff 3 conversions, 4 penalties, 2 dropped goals), Blues 36 (Charles Piutau, Bryn Hall, Frank Halai, George Moala, Benji Marshall tries; Chris Noakes 2 conversions, penalty, Simon Hickey 2 conversions). HT: 17-0 China Sneakers For Sale . The defending champions sent their preliminary list to FIFA on Tuesday, with coach Vicente del Bosque to announce the final 23-man squad on May 25. Costa is set to lead the attack in his native Brazil, with Atletico Madrid teammate David Villa and Chelseas Fernando Torres also included, while David de Gea replaces injured goalkeeper Victor Valdes. Cheap Sneakers Fast Shipping . Torres scored the first goal by an English team in the knockout phase of the Champions League this season when he met Cezar Azpilicuetas cutback in the ninth minute of their first leg match in the last 16. But Chelsea failed to make the most of its counterattacks and the Turkish champions equalized in the second half after gaining in confidence and cutting out their defensive mistakes. http://www.cheapsneakersfromchina.com/. Hazard lasted just 18 minutes in Tuesdays contest before being substituted with the calf problem, and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes he will be without his star winger for at least the next two weeks. Cheap Nike Shoes From China . INJURIES - Reds RF Jay Bruce is facing knee surgery for a torn meniscus and it could cost him a month of playing time. Chris Heisey, who has shown some pop (43 home runs, . Cheap Sneakers Free Shipping .Y. - Geno Smith still thinks of himself as the New York Jets starting quarterback.GREEN BAY, Wis. - Jordy Nelson had a secret on the way to the first practice of Packers training camp. It didnt take long for the rest of his teammates to find out. Green Bays leading receiver now has a deal commensurate with his production after signing a contract extension just before taking the field Saturday morning. "So I was like the last one in the locker room and waiting on the paperwork to come down to get it done. That way, I had some security when I went out to practice," Nelson said. "That was a little bit different, and knowing no one knew (but) me the whole time Im riding down there and on the field." Soon enough, Nelson told fellow receivers and the quarterbacks. Coach Mike McCarthy found out in the middle of practice. Right about the time that Nelson was making a pretty touchdown catch on a long corner pass from Aaron Rodgers, word filtered out on social media. The Packers didnt divulge terms when announcing the signing after the end of practice, and NFL.com reported it was a four-year, $39 million deal with an $11.5 million signing bonus. "He said he re-signed and he was really happy," Rodgers said. "Now he can buy all the land in Kansas. Im very happy." Nelson, a Kansas native who attended Kansas State, posted career-bests of 85 catches and 1,314 yards last season. The 2008 second-round pick has developed into one of the top receivers in the league with his ability to make sideline catches. Rodgers thinks Nelson has top-notch instincts and reactions. "So its fun to see Jordy re-sign for four more. I told him that thats five (years) for him and Ive got six left, so were going to have to do one more after that and stick around a little bit longer," Rodgers said. The signing secures the teams top player at a position that had several high-profile departures in recent years. Reliable veteran James Jones left for Oakland in free agency in the off-season. After the 2012 season, Donald Driver retired and Greg Jennings departed as a free agent for division rival Minnesota. Now the Packers must also decide how to proceed with receiver Randall&nbbsp;Cobb, a 2011 second-round pick going into the final year of his rookie deal.dddddddddddd "Well, every coach wants his core guys, no doubt about it," McCarthy said. "Like I said before, if I was in charge of the player checkbook, we would have been way over the budget a long time ago." Nelsons extension overshadowed what likely would have been the top story line of Day 1 with the return of pass-rushing linebacker Clay Matthews. He watched during off-season workouts while recovering from a second surgery in the off-season to repair a broken right thumb. Practice Saturday had the Packers lining up Matthews and defensive end-linebacker Julius Peppers — the teams big free-agent acquisition — on the field at the same time. Its the ideal pass-rushing scenario for the team going into 2014. Matthews had what looked like a flexible black wrap protecting his right hand. There were no limitations with the linebacker, other than "just being smart," McCarthy said. The recovery process appeared to be a little frustrating for the long-haired linebacker. The thumb "feels pretty strong and will continue to get stronger with the reps I take on the football field," Matthews said. "This off-season was definitely an uphill battle coming off an injury, but I think that just makes this year that much more special to me." It will likely be memorable one as well for Nelson because of the extension. Lauded for his leadership qualities, Nelson seems content to finish his career in Green Bay. Nelson realizes this is a business. He also said he never considered holding out. "I dont like the word worth," Nelson said, interrupting a reporter who used it in a question. "I dont like the word worth because to be honest with you, I dont think any of us are worth this money. But its your value and the business were a part of." Note: LBs Mike Neal (abdomen) and Nick Perry (foot/knee) were close to being ready for practice, McCarthy said. The linebackers, who should rotate with Matthews and Peppers as pass rushers, had similar injuries last year. ' ' '