Lions roar past Connacht to climb to third on URC log
· The South African
The Lions produced another commanding performance at Ellis Park on Saturday, beating Connacht 33-21 to record their sixth consecutive URC victory.
Van Rooyen’s side led 21-0 at half-time and never looked threatened despite a late Connacht rally.
Visit freshyourfeel.com for more information.
The bonus-point win moves the Lions to third on the log, with fourth-placed Leinster still to play later in the round. The Lions also set a new franchise record for victories in the competition.
FIRST HALF RECAP: LIONS SHUT CONNACHT OUT COMPLETELY
Angelo Davids opened the scoring in the fourth minute, finishing in the corner after a slick wide pass from flyhalf Chris Smith. The Lions pressed immediately and Henco van Wyk then broke through the defence to add the second try. Smith converted both.
Connacht worked hard to build phases and threatened briefly in the first half. The Lions held firm at the breakdown, forcing turnovers and keeping the visitors scoreless. A late first-half turnover created space for Richard Kriel to break before releasing Sibabalwe Mahashe out wide. Smith’s touchline conversion made it 21-0 at the break.
SECOND HALF RECAP: KOTZE YELLOW CARD OPENS THE DOOR
The Lions continued their dominance after the restart. Number eight Francke Horn broke through the defensive line and sent Erich Cronje clear for the bonus-point try. At that stage, the match appeared beyond Connacht’s reach.
Prop SJ Kotze then received a yellow card for head contact in a tackle. Connacht capitalised immediately, driving over through replacement scrumhalf Matthew Devine, with fullback Sam Gilbert adding the conversion. The visitors suddenly had life at 28-7.
Van Wyk collected a pass from Quan Horn to score his second try and push the Lions’ lead back out. Connacht thought they had a third through replacement centre Shayne Bolton, but a TMO review ruled it out for a knock-on. Devine grabbed his second before number eight Paul Boyle crossed in the final play of the match.
Their unbeaten run in the competition stretches to nine matches, and the record for most URC victories in this franchise’s history now belongs to this group.
Next up, the Lions travel to Dublin to face Leinster in what shapes as the most demanding test of their season. Connacht, meanwhile, return to Galway to host Munster.