URC – Emirates Lions In Clinical Win Over Dragons RFC

 

The Emirates Lions continued their unbeaten run with a 23-19 win over the Dragons RFC in Newport on Sunday. 

The Lions showed from the kick-off their intentions and launched several promising attacks. After ten minutes of play and brilliant interplay, Quan Horn strolled over in the corner as the Dragons ran out of defenders.

Five minutes later flanker Harri Keddie timed his running to perfection, intercepting a Lions pass to run sixty-odd meters to score the hosts' first try of the match and level the scores at 07-07.

Following the first quarter, which the Lions dominated, the Dragons turned to their big forwards to attack the Lions' defence with great success, making several meters at a time.

Cynical play by Franco Marais led to a yellow card, which the Dragons used to score their second try when Taine Basham bashed his way over the Lions' tryline from the back of a lineout-maul.

The Lions converted two penalties by Nico Steyn during the final ten minutes to retake the lead 13-10 which was also the halftime score.

The Dragons started the second half like a house on fire and eightman Taine Basham scored within the first three minutes of the second half, bulldozing his way over the tryline, retaking the lead 19-13 for the Dragons.

Sanele Nohamba converted a penalty whereafter brilliance by Jarrod Cairns who steamrolled his way over several defenders in a thirty-meter run to score the Lions' second try to retake the lead 23-19 and twenty-seven minutes still to play in the second half.

The final fifteen minutes of play were a bit of a bore as both teams acknowledged their opposition's defensive structures, reverting to kicking for position and praying for mistakes.

The Lions won 23-19 against the Dragons RFC.

Scorers:
Dragons RFC: Tries: Harri Keddie, Taine Basham (2). Conversions: Lloyd Evans (2).
Emirates Lions: Tries: Quan Horn, Jarrod Cairns. Conversions: Nico Steyn, Sanele Nohamba. Penalties: Nico Steyn (2), Sanele Nohamba.

Teams:

Dragons RFC: 15 Angus O’Brien, 14 Rio Dyer, 13 Joe Westwood, 12 Aneurin Owen, 11 Ewan Rosser, 10 Lloyd Evans, 9 Rhodri Williams, 8 Taine Basham, 7 Harri Keddie, 6 Shane Lewis-Hughes, 5 Matthew Screech, 4 Ben Carter (c), 3 Leon Brown, 2 Brodie Coghlan, 1 Rodrigo Martinez. Replacements: 16 Oli Burrows, 17 Cameron Jones, 18 Chris Coleman, 19 Ryan Woodman, 20 Dan Lydiate, 21 Dane Blacker, 22 Will Reed, 23 Ewan Rosser

Emirates Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Rabz Maxwane, 13 Erich Cronje, 12 Rynhardt Jonker, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Nico Steyn, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Jarod Cairns, 6 JC Pretorius, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Reinhard Nothnagel, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 Franco Marais, 1 Juan Schoeman. Replacements: 16 PJ Botha, 17 Heiko Pohlmann, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Ruben Schoeman, 20 Renzo du Plessis, 21 Sanele Nohamba, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Henco van Wyk.