The sides exchanged two tries apiece in the opening 20 minutes before last year’s runners-up went 33-24 ahead at the break after a first half in which they crossed their visitors’ line five times and the Sydney-based franchise replied with three of their own.
An error-strewn second half stemmed the scoring frenzy but the Lions added three more while the Waratahs scored twice including a fine move finished off in style by Israel Folau.
Lions captain Warren Whiteley was the first to cross over with a pick up and drive as the Lions looked for a second win of the season after both teams triumphed in their opening games of this year's Super Rugby campaign.
The Waratahs answered within three minutes as winger Rob Horne touched down easily at the end of their first attacking move, setting the tone for the high-scoring game.
They were down to 14 men with the first of two yellow cards when the Lions’ driving maul allowed Ruan Ackermann to cross the line. But the Waratahs quickly replied when captain Michael Hooper took advantage of panicky defence to make the score 14-14 with less than 20 minutes played.
The Lions surged ahead with three successive tries in a 12-minute spell before the break with Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Andries Coetzee and scrumhalf Ross Cronje all breaking through the Australians’ flimsy defence.
But the Waratahs had their confidence restored with a clever chip and charge over from flyhalf Bryce Hegarty that reduced the deficit to nine points on the stroke of halftime.
The altitude and travel took its toll in the second half as Janse van Rensburg, Sylvain Mahuza and Malcolm Marx added tries for the Lions with David McDuling getting a career first for the Waratahs.
(Reporting by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ed Osmond)
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