By Brenden Nel.
@GalloImages.
Italian side Benetton remained unbeaten in this year’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship as a late try by Argentinean winger Ignatio Mendy saw them to a narrow 15-10 victory over the Emirates Lions in Treviso on Sunday.
Mendy’s score, coupled with a first half try by Tongan and former All Black international Malakai Fekitoa, was enough to down the South African challenge in a low-scoring scrappy arm wrestle where the Lions will be kicking themselves that they didn’t make more of their chances.
Ivan van Rooyen’s side are now 14th in the 16 team competition and yet to record a win, and while they possess a lot of talent, it has been a consistent theme that they can’t get over the line to record victories.
The four bonus points they have achieved – 3 losing ones and one for a four-try losing attempt against the Stormers at home – are all they have to show for it after three rounds of the competition.
And for once it wasn’t them who were the stronger side in the last 10 minutes, but rather Benetton, whose credentials in the URC took a big step forward as they have now won two of their three games in the league and have a draw against champions Munster.
As a game though, this wasn’t a classic, but rather an arm wrestle where most of the play was between the two 22 metre areas, and while both sides showed promise and enterprise and wanted to make a game of it, but there were countless errors and it was clear it would come down to the wire at the end.
After the Los Pumas winger finished off the move in the 70th minute, the Lions chased the game but even though they put up more than 20 phases up to fulltime on the last gasp attack, they never seemed to have the strike power to actually derail Benetton’s defence.
The game was always going to be a difficult one for the Lions and from a positive point of view, the fact they were always in the fight will be interpreted as a positive by the management side.
Yet, for a side that had lost no players to the World Cup, and who have had an extended pre-season, there is cause for their fans to be a bit disappointed at their lack of victories after three rounds of the tournament.
In every game they have looked competitive, but have struggled to get over the line and get that elusive victory.
And while South African sides have struggled in general overseas, with the Bulls the only side to record a win thus far, you can’t but help think the Lions should have probably pulled one through by now.
Either way it was Benetton who held their nerve when it mattered, first as they scored the opening try through Fekitoa, after a probing run that was recycled and stretched the Lions defence.
The Lions added a penalty but Benetton replied with one of their own as the game moved on without any team taking a firm grasp on matters.
It was only when the burly frame of Asenathi Ntalabakanye barged over from close range and the Lions evened the scores at 10-all that they looked as if they had a chance to win the game.
But Benetton hit back a few minutes later, stretching the Lions with their attack and watching as Mendy got the final pass to step inside Quan Horn and flat-foot the fullback to score the winning try.
Whatever the Lions do from here, they will need to control the game better, or else this season will be a carbon copy of the last.
Scorers
Benetton Treviso – tries: Malakai Fekitoa, Ignatio Mendy. Conversion: Tomas Albornoz. Penalty:: Jacob Umaga.
Emirates Lions – try: Asenathi Ntlabakanye. Conversion: Sanele Nohamba. Penalty: Hendrikse.
Meanwhile the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ poor run of form away from home continued as they were the masters of their own downfall, going down 19-5 to Welsh side Ospreys in a scrappy error-filled game at the Stoop in London on Friday night.
Elsewhere Glasgow Warriors have built up an impressive home record under the coaching of Franco Smith and they continued that with a 20-9 win over the DHL Stormers at the Scotstoun on Friday night.