A late penalty by Emirates Lions flyhalf Gianni Lombard gave them a historic win over Edinburgh in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship, winning 22-19 in a slugfest that was as absorbing as it was entertaining.
The win meant the Lions ended their short tour of Europe unbeaten, winning twice in Wales and now in Scotland and all three games were come-from-behind wins, as they burgled the points on offer to the astonishment of the hosts.
And against Edinburgh it was no different. The hosts had not lost since last April when Ulster became the only team to win at the new DAM stadium, but on a night where Edinburgh dominated possession and territory, they were unable to land the knockout blow against a Lions side full of fight.
In fact, the one difference between this Lions side and the previous season is precisely that. They refuse to lie down. Their defence has improved dramatically under Jaque Fourie and while they still tend to dip out of games and lose concentration, they fight back harder than ever.
The loose trio of Francke Horn and Ruan Venter were particularly impressive on the night, with Horn grabbing the man of the match award for some exceptional carries and all-round leadership on the field.
There were several moments as well where Edinburgh had the chance to put their opposition away, but every single time the Lions came up with something to stop them. In the end when they had their opportunity it was Lombard’s boot – which otherwise had a disappointing night – that saw them home.
There were many heroes on the night, and it is hard not to acknowledge the performances of a number of other players in the side. Lombard made some telling tackles – particularly on the big-running Bill Mata in the 10 channel, stopping him dead.
Then there was the counterattack from Henco van Wyk – seriously impressive and Quan Horn outside him as well, as the Lions continue to build a backline that has so much more potential.
While their scrum wobbled against Edinburgh, their two workhorse locks were always in the firing line and Sanele Nohamba had another exceptional outing and was complimented by Morne van den Berg when he came on.
Edinburgh struggled to get the breakthrough in the opening 20 minutes, but when they did, it wasn’t a surprise to see Mata rumble over at the back of a rolling maul. Their forwards had earned the lead.
BIGGER MATCHES TO COME, BUT LIONS SMILING
But it wasn’t held for too long, as Marius Louw put in a telling break off a lineout, and the ensuing chaos eventually found the ball to Andries Coetzee, who stepped back inside the tackle to go over and level the scores.
The second half would replay this – Edinburgh pulling away, and the Lions reeling them in.
It happened when Darcy Graham – always a thorn in a defensive side – scored in the corner with a jink that beat Quan Horn to put Edinburgh ahead once again.
No sooner had he done that, than four minutes later Van Wyk accelerated out wide, was stopped, left the ball and picked back up to shake off the defender and run through for the try.
Edinburgh hit back once again when Ben Muncaster scored on the hour to take the lead again for the home side.
But once again it didn’t last long, as the Lions confounded their own form, found a way to get downfield and then watched as first Emmanuel Tshituka made yards before a deft pass by Van den Berg put Francke Horn into the gap to level the scores at 19-all.
It was a hack through that finally separated the sides, as the Lions took the ball all the way into the Edinburgh 22, and then won the penalty when Graham was caught on the ground with the ball.
Lombard’s kick sent it home and the visitors managed the remainder of the game well as Edinburgh pushed for a late try.
It was another famous victory for a side that fought so hard, and a deserved one at that.
Bigger matches await, but for another week, this Lions team will be smiling.
SCORERS
Edinburgh – tries: Bill Mata, Darcy Graham, Ben Muncaster. Conversions: Emiliano Boffelli (2).
Emirates Lions – tries: Andries Coetzee, Henco van Wyk, Francke Horne. Conversions: Gianni Lombard (2). Penalty: Lombard.