Lions beat Connacht at Ellis Park to maintain 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.
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