JOHANNESBURG (AP) The Lions made their first Super Rugby final by beating defending champion Highlanders 42-30 Saturday and will face the Hurricanes next weekend in New Zealand.
The Lions scored five tries to four by the Highlanders, and had opened up a 17-3 lead inside 30 minutes after scores from Elton Jantjies and a 60-meter breakaway by center Rohan Janse van Rensburg.
The Lions never looked back, adding another three tries in the second half as the visiting Highlanders flagged, weighed down by the travel and the high altitude at Johannesburg's Ellis Park.
The last two Highlanders tries came in the dying minutes and after the game was settled.
The Lions travel to Wellington to face the Hurricanes, who made their second straight final by beating the Chiefs 25-9.
