Lions maul Connacht at Ellis Park to refresh faint URC quarterfinal hopes
This match was as drab as the autumn cloak that clung to Ellis Park like a needy octopus.
There was no escaping the collective dread that things were not going to get better in this United Rugby Championship clash and though the hosts, clearly the better of the two teams, created scoring opportunities in the second half they were hamstrung by their hamfistedness.
At final whistle, 26-7 up under leaden skies, the Lions held on to what they perceive to be a silver lining in their effectively doomed quest for a top eight spot.
The Lions came into the game on the cusp of elimination and though they secured victory they remain very long shots for a quarterfinal spot.
They will be energised by some workmanlike performances, especially from their pack.
Props Morgan Naude and Asenathi Ntlabakanye hustled and bustled until they were replaced, while flank Renzo du Plessis proved a bundle of energy in a man of the match performance.
At the back, Morne van den Berg directed operations with aplomb from behind the pack, while left wing Edwill van der Merwe brought his familiar verve and vigour.
𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 | Emirates Lions 26 – 07 Connacht #LIOvCON #ForOurCity @Vodacom #URC | #HitsDifferent #LionsPride 🦁 pic.twitter.com/E4H7aEG0rI
— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) April 26, 2025
Debutant Bronson Mills had a busy afternoon, though not always in a productive way.
On the whole however, this clash was no where near the realm of spectacle.
It had the look and feel of protagonists operating in a parallel universe to the teams who already find themselves among the top eight.
The match didn't just lack quality, but the vibrancy and urgency more regularly on show higher up the points table.
Connacht failed to get the foothold in the game they got a week ago.
There were times they looked jaded.
Their approach was measured, perhaps in anticipation of the challenge
Johannesburg's thin air might present them in the second half.
Connacht's lassitude lingered in the second half.
Though the Lions had the better of the exchanges in the opening half hour, neither side could settle into a discernible pattern or rhythm.
The hosts fashioned a splendid team try in the 13th minute after they were handed good field position from a touch finding penalty.
The interplay between backs and forwards was as slick as that between Naude and Ntlabakanye.
Probing wide the Lions found reward when Du Plessis barged over but somehow Kade Wolhuter failed to convert from 'gimme' location.
Wolhuter did raise the flags with an 18th minute penalty before doubling his contribution off the tee with another earned from a powerful scrum a few minutes out from the break.
It was a first half that produced precious little to shout about.
The Lions played well enough to deserve a double digit lead but they would have gone into the break with the nagging feeling their opponents had not yet fired a shot.
There was no need to fret.
Wolhuter added a third penalty shortly after the restart.
A yellow card to Du Plessis in the 49th minute opened the door for the visitors and though they got over the tryline via a maul their modus operandi did not stand up to the full scrutiny of the law.
The Lions too drew a blank when Van der Merwe's fine dash and questionable dive was chalked off due to an earlier infraction by Henco van Wyk.
Van der Merwe scored at the death but it did little to lift the pall over Ellis Park.
Scorers
Lions (11) 26 - Tries: Renzo du Plessis, JC Pretorius, Edwill van der Merwe. Conversion: Lubabalo Dobela. Penalties: Kade Wolhuter (3).
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