URC result: Lions edge Leinster in ferocious opening encounter

The Lions were given a big scare by defending United Rugby Championship (URC) champions Leinster as they battled to a 27-26 win in their season opener at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon.

The Lions, playing at home on the highveld and against a weakened Leinster team featuring a large number of youngsters in their match 23, were favourites for the match and will probably be satisfied to pick up four points with the win after they weren’t at their best.

Leinster will be proud of their inexperienced sides effort, with one of their youngsters, scrumhalf Fintan Gunne, scoring a first half hattrick, while Lions wing Erich Cronje put in an all-action performance to score two tries and earn a well-deserved man of the match award.

In all it was a ferocious encounter, with five tries between the two teams being scored in the first half, before a much tighter second half saw just one try from each side.

Fast start

It was a fast start to the match for Leinster, as they took play into the Lions 22m, got close to the line and Gunne reached over to dot down the opening score in the sixth minute.

But the Lions hit straight back three minutes later as a huge scrum in the Leinster 22m worked some space for the backs and an inside ball from scrumhalf Nico Steyn to wing Erich Cronje saw him ghost through for the converted score.

A 13^th minute penalty from flyhalf Chris Smith pushed the Lions into a 10-5 lead, but from the restart Leinster got the ball back and a great line from eighthman Josh Ericson saw him hit a gap into the 22m and offload to Gunne to run in his second, with the conversion from Caspar Gabriel putting them ahead.

The Lions however retook the lead in the 24^th minute, again from a strong scrum in the Leinster half, the ball was slung to outside centre Henco van Wyk, who handed off a tackler, lured in three defenders and offloaded to fullback Boeta Chamberlain, who found Cronje in support for him to score his second for a 17-12 lead.

The Lions looked to be in control over the rest of the half, but with a couple of minutes to go a superb 50/22 from Leinster inside centre Charlie Tector gave Leinster a lineout just in the Lions 22m.

From it Leinster secured the ball and attacked, Gabriel sliced through a hole and it was Gunne again in support to receive the offload and run in his hattrick, with the extras giving them a 19-17 lead at the break.

Arm wrestle

The Lions defence which had not been great in the first half then shored up in an arm wrestle of a second half, which helped them earn them the win.

Both teams had a few chances in the first 20 minutes of the second half, but good defence from both kept each other out.

It thus took 60^th minute a penalty Smith to inch the Lions into a one-point lead going into the final quarter.

A 71^st minute yellow card to Leinster replacement forward Dylan McNeice for cynical play in their 22m after a quick tap penalty from Steyn, reduced them to 14-men, and the Lions started to pile on the pressure while the visitors desperately held out.

However the pressure finally told in the 78^th minute as the Lions set up a lineout in the Leinster 22m, rumbled the maul up close and a cross kick from Cronje found his opposite wing Kelly Mpeku out wide to catch the ball, put foot and go over for the score, with Smith’s conversion putting them more than a converted try ahead at 27-19.

Leinster made sure they would have the final say and clinch two bonus points, as they kept the play alive after the fulltime hooter, and eventually in the 85^th minute replacement hooker Stephen Smyth forced his way over from close range to make it 27-26 at

Scorers

Lions: Tries – Erich Cronje (2), Kelly Mpeku; Conversions – Chris Smith (3); Penalties – Smith (2)

Leinster: Tries – Fintan Gunne (3), Stephen Smyth; Conversions – Caspar Gabriel (3)