28 September 2026
The Black Lion snatched a dramatic 21–19 victory over the Airlink Pumas following a nail-biting finish in Tbilisi.
The clash started with a physical arm wrestle as both outfits looked to lay down an early marker. The Airlink Pumas suffered a massive blow in the 14th minute when Troy Delport was forced off with an injury, bringing Banie Britz into the fray.
Just three minutes later, Britz found himself in the referee's bad books and received a yellow card, leaving the Lowvelders under severe defensive strain.
The Black Lion capitalised instantly on the extra-man advantage with a devastating rolling maul. Vakhtang Jincharadze bashed his way over the whitewash in the 18th minute to open the scoring. Luka Tsirekidze added the extra two points with a crisp conversion, putting the visitors firmly in the driving seat.
Refusing to lie down, the Pumas launched a counter-attack and hit back through their talismanic playmaker. Clinton Swart crashed through a gap in the 24th minute for a brilliant try, which he subsequently converted himself to draw the scores level.
The match turned into a bruising battlefield, forcing a flurry of medical substitutions for both teams just before the interval.
The Pumas struck gold once more right on the stroke of half-time with some sublime running rugby. Stephan Krugel showed a clean pair of heels to dot down in the 38th minute, though Bradley Pierre Giddy pulled the conversion wide to edge the Pumas 12-7 in the lead at the halftime break.
The Black Lion rang the changes at the break, freshening up their tight five to wrestle back momentum. This paid off in the 57th minute when Otar Giorgadze powered over for a vital try. Luka Tsirekidze slotted the conversion, a moment compounded by Pumas' Tiaan De Klerk seeing yellow for a cynical infraction.
Down to 14 men again, the Pumas dug deep into their reserve tank and produced a moment of pure magic. Lundi Msenge finished off a spectacular team move in the 65th minute. Bradley Giddy made amends with a clutch conversion, handing the Pumas a crucial cushion.
The final ten minutes turned into a frantic, nerve-shredding affair as bodies were thrown into every breakdown. The Black Lion threw caution to the wind and launched one final, desperate assault deep in Pumas territory.
In the 79th minute, Irakli Kvatadze burst through a tiring defensive line to score before the successful conversion sealed a dramatic late comeback21-19 win.
Scorers:
Black Lions: Tries: Vakhtang Jincharadze, Otar Giorgadze, Irakli Kvatadze. Conversions: Luka Tsirekidze (3).
Airlink Pumas: Tries: Lundi Msenge, Stephan Krugel, Clinton Swart. Conversions: Bradley Giddy, Clinton Swart.
Teams:
Black Lion: 1 Giga Kobakhidze, 2 Vakhtang Jincharadze, 3 Nikoloz Narmania, 4 Mikheili Babunashvili, 5 Demuri Epremidze, 6 Lasha Tsikhistavi, 7 Giorgi Tsutskiridze, 8 Otar Giorgadze, 9 Giorgi Spanderashvili, 10 Luka Tsirekidze, 11 Romani Makhatadze, 12 Demetre Devdariani, 13 Luka Tabatadze, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 15 Otari Metreveli. Replacements: 16 Irakli Kvatadze, 17 Giorgi Mamaiashvili, 18 Nikoloz Khatiashvili, 19 Vladimeri Chachanidze, 20 Michael Curry, 21 Potu Leavasa, 22 Temur Dzodzuashvili, 23 Luka Takaishvili.
Airlink Pumas: 1 Jaco Du Toit, 2 Chyle Van Zyl, 3 Bryan Le Roux, 4 Stephan Krugel, 5 Tiaan De Klerk, 6 De Wet Marais, 7 Willie Engelbrecht, 8 Marvelous Mashimbyi, 9 Thomas Bursey, 10 Clinton Swart, 11 Lundi Msenge, 12 Wian Van Niekerk, 13 Troy Delport, 14 Alfondso Isaacs, 15 Tino Swanepoel. Replacements: 16 Gustav Tiaan Du Rand, 17 Damian Baker, 18 Junior Banda, 19 Andre Goedhals, 20 Henri Van Heerden, 21 Russwill Fredericks. 22 Bradley Pierre Giddy, 23 Banie Britz.
