Plagued by their own mistakes, the Emirates Lions' fightback fell short as they went down 39-37 to Irish side Ulster in a 10-try Vodacom United Rugby Championship thriller in Johannesburg on Saturday.
It was a performance that both inspired and frustrated as the Lions showed they could go toe to toe with the bigger sides in the competition, but were ultimately not good enough as they became the architects of their own demise.
A yellow card cost them three tries, and probably the game, while basic errors in the lineouts and at crucial moments set the two sides apart as Ulster scored relatively soft tries.
When the Lions needed to be composed - like the moment they won a crucial penalty in the dying seconds of the game - they fluffed it and didn’t get the kick out.
In the end Ulster won not because they were brilliant, but more because they were street smart and controlled the conditions better, scored when it mattered and didn’t make the same amount of errors as the Lions did.
As much as there were moments of brilliance from the home side, there were mind-numbing counterpoints which would have driven the coaching team mad, as basic errors crept in at the most inopportune moments.
While their scrum was one of their strong points, their lineouts were poor and their options when in control of the ball, not to mention the kicking game, played right into Ulster’s hands.
There were moments when it looked as if the altitude affected the home team much more than the visitors, as they looked off the pace, lacked a chasing line and were generally lethargic for most of the second half.
But despite it all, they managed to keep themselves in the game. Just like most of their European tour, it was when they looked the most down and out that they became their most dangerous.
And this game at home was no exception.
Even after conceding three tries and looking out of the game, the Lions fought back, getting themselves within a whisker of a win, but then not having the composure to get over the line when it was needed.
It showed that while this team have come far, they still have a way to go before they can challenge the best teams in the competition.
But in terms of entertainment value, the contest didn’t disappoint.
COSTLY YELLOW
Ulster was the first to score, with the visitors turning over a ball with way too much ease close to the near touchline and then exploiting the forwards on defence as Baloucoune simply stepped inside and put on the gas to score.
With the heat beating down, it was the Lions who planted the first significant blow after stopping an Ulster surge upfield, with Emmanuel Tshituka winning a crucial turnover and then watching as Francke Horn went direct upfield for a 70 metre run to get his side level again.
Gianni Lombard put the Lions ahead with a penalty before a monster maul and big drive from Emmanuel Tshituka took him over the line to put the Lions eight points up.
It was meant to see them into the halftime break, but Ulster came roaring back, mainly through some poor exit kicking by the Lions and then a crucial yellow card that became extremely costly.
In their scramble to prevent the try, Henco van Wyk received his marching orders and with a minute to go, it was enough to see Billy Burns be the extra man to score just before the break.
The yellow became more costly as the Lions looked lethargic in starting the second half, and looked almost pedestrian as Ulster scored in the corner through Rob Lyttle to take the lead.
Things went from bad to worse as they stole a lineout on their own line, only for Marius Louw to fumble the ball and his opposite number Stuart McCloskey pounced to extend the score.
By the time Van Wyk returned to the field, Ulster had scored 19 points and the Lions none, and the game had truly changed.
Rob Herring went over from a maul in the 54th minute to extend the lead and double the Lions' scoreline.
But then somehow they found their feet and they charged back. A multi-phase attack saw Andries Coetzee go over and narrow the lead, before Quan Horn found space on the outside and motored down the far touchline to score.
Francke Horne got his second late in the game after Ulster sneaked past a penalty to keep them at bay.
It was then when the moment counted, and the Lions struck out. It was then when composure mattered and Ulster found theirs to close out their first win in South Africa.
In a 10-try thriller, it came down to the small moments that made the difference. And in these Ulster were superior, and it gave them the valuable points on offer.
SCORERS
Emirates Lions 37 - try: Francke Horn (2), Emmanuel Tshituka, Andries Coetzee, Quan Horn
Conversions: Gianni Lombard, Jordan Hendrikse (2). Penalties: Gianni Lombard (2)
Ulster 39 - try: Robert Baloucoune, Billy Burns, Rob Lyttle, Stuart McCloskey, Rob Herring. Conversion: John Cooney (2), Nathan Doak. Penalties: Cooney, Doak.