The Lions have powered into the top four of the United Rugby Championship (URC) with a hard-fought 42-26 bonus-point win over the Dragons at Ellis Park on Saturday evening. The Joburg side had to dig deep to quell a spirited Dragons outfit, eventually pulling away in the second half to secure a vital victory.
The home side started on the front foot, with loose forward Siba Mahashe scoring in the fifth minute after a superb break and offload from livewire centre Henco van Wyk. However, the Dragons hit back ten minutes later to lead 7-5, as Aneurin Owen exploited a gap in the Lions’ defence created by an injury to Bronson Mills.
A Chris Smith penalty restored the lead for Ivan van Rooyen’s men, before winger Richard Kriel extended it in the 26th minute. The fullback-turned-winger gathered a difficult pass off his bootlaces, sold a dummy, and cantered over. Smith’s conversion made it 15-7. The see-saw nature of the first half continued as Owen grabbed his brace to cut the lead to a single point, but another Smith penalty sent the Lions into the break with an 18-14 advantage.
Second-Half Surge
The Dragons briefly reclaimed the lead early in the second half when Rio Dyer plucked a cross-kick out of the air to score. Their advantage lasted just two minutes, however, as Smith and scrumhalf Nico Steyn both crossed the whitewash to secure the Lions’ try-scoring bonus point. Steyn, starting in the absence of Springbok star Morné van den Berg, rounded off a Man of the Match performance with his second try, before Erich Cronjé added a sixth for the hosts.
According to the United Rugby Championship rules, a bonus point is awarded to a team that scores four or more tries in a match. The Lions will now look to carry this momentum into tough home fixtures against the high-flying Glasgow Warriors and Connacht, before ending the regular season with two matches on the road.
Key Statistics
- Lions: 42 points (6 tries, 3 conversions, 3 penalties)
- Dragons: 26 points (4 tries, 3 conversions)
- Man of the Match: Nico Steyn
The Lions will be looking to build on this win and solidify their position in the top four of the URC. With the South African Rugby team competing in the tournament, the Lions will be hoping to make a strong impression and bring pride to their fans.
