The Emirates Lions stuttered and stalled, but ground out a frustrating 23-19 win over the Dragons in Newport on Sunday to keep their unbeaten record in this season’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship alive.
There will be few who will call this an exceptional performance and while the Lions were shadows of the side that obliterated Edinburgh in Johannesburg last weekend, they managed to overcome their own demons, and some hometown calls, to get themselves over the line even though they were outscored three tries to two.
The Dragons are a feisty bunch. While they are likely to end around the bottom of the log, at this time of year they can be a handful and when allowed to get away with almost anything at the breakdown, they make any opposition side’s life a lot tougher.
That, added to the partisan crowd, made for tough opposition for the Lions on a Sunday afternoon where they will be the first to admit they were far from their best.
With their quick ruck ball disrupted, they needed to find novel ways of winning, and if the hallmark of a good side is winning when you play poorly, then the Lions achieved that on all levels.
Not the prettiest, but whatever it takes…#ForOurCity
— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) October 13, 2024
#DRAvLIO #ForOurCity
@vodacom #URC | #HitsDifferent
#LionsPride🦁 pic.twitter.com/WNjCGjag02
A classic this was not, and while we have seen the Lions play some exhilarating rugby over the past few seasons, their attack was blunted by some good defence and several handling errors that stopped them from gaining momentum.
CAIRNS SHINES
Despite the breakdown woes, flanker Jarrod Cairns was a sensation all around the park and along with JC Pretorius and Francke Horn made their presence felt in the Welsh valleys.
But Cairns was everywhere, and deservedly got the man of the match award, as well as the crucial try that sealed the game for the Lions.
And while both sides tried their best to play at pace, the amount of errors and stunted momentum meant that the game never really got going as a contest.
The Lions were first out of the blocks in the 11th minute as their scrum, which dominated throughout the game once again, demolished the Dragons, and the free play from advantage allowed Morne van den Berg to snipe around the fringes and set up momentum, so much so that when the ball went wide Quan Horn had a simple run in for the first try.
Sound the Horn! 🔥
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) October 13, 2024
Quan Horn opens the scoring for @lionsrugbyco @Vodacom #URC | #DRAvLIO pic.twitter.com/gTb1cQgBC3
But then as they got ambitious, the Lions threw a frustrating intercept pass for flanker Hari Keddie to run 50 metres to score.
Things got worse for them when a cynical error - hooker Franco Marais kicking the ball out of the halfback’s hands while lying on the ground - cost them a yellow card.
That mismatch then allowed the Dragons to rumble up into their 22 and it wasn’t long before Welsh international Taine Basham went over for the first of his two tries in the afternoon.
Nico Steyn brought the side within two with a penalty and then on the stroke of halftime added a second penalty to put the Lions up by a point at the break.
The second half saw a real struggle from both sides to take ascendancy in the game, with Basham scoring first, again from close range to put his side ahead before Sanele Nohamba pulled some points back with a penalty.
Cairns, though, had the final say, as the Lions flanker was put through a hole and accelerated, passed outside to Edwill van der Merwe, who returned the compliment inside and then shook off two tackles to score an exceptional try.
🎙 "THIS GAME IS LOOSE!"
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) October 13, 2024
And @LionsRugbyCo were loving it.
Jarod Cairns storms through for the score of the game.@vodacom #URC | #DRAvLIO pic.twitter.com/BkHHLHgz70
The Dragons tried hard in the last quarter but the Lions held firm, using their setpiece to close out the game as they took four points on offer, but will know they need to be a lot better ahead of their next tour game.
Scorers
Dragons - tries: Taine Basham (2), Hari Keedie. Conversions: Lloyd Evans (2).
Emirates Lions - tries: Quan Horn, Jarrod Cairns. Conversions: Nico Steyn, Sanele Nohamba. Penalties: Steyn (2), Nohamba