Chris Smith kicked four penalties to help the Vodacom Bulls claim a hard-fought Vodacom United Rugby Championship season-opening victory over the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.

While both teams were far from their best in warm conditions at Ellis Park, the Bulls won 31-15 thanks to good defensive pressure and the clinical boot of their No 10.

The visitors got off to a flying start through Marcell Coetzee’s try in the second minute from a quick-tap penalty and extended their lead through an excellent end-to-end try finished by Cornal Hendricks in the corner.

However, the Lions clawed their way back into the match towards the end of the first half courtesy of a maul try scored by No 8 Franke Horn and a penalty from Hendrikse.

The hosts levelled the scores just after the break when centre Marius Louw, acquired from the Sharks in the off-season, scored a try on his Lions debut.

While the Lions did all the huffing and puffing with ball in hand, it was the Bulls who did the real damage on the scoreboard as Smith converted three consecutive penalties, before replacement hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels scored from a maul to take the visitors into an unassailable lead in the final 10 minutes.

Photo: Twitter: @BlueBullsRugby