By Brenden Nel.
The Emirates Lions went down fighting, ending their European Challenge Cup campaign with a 31-21 defeat at the hands of Glasgow Warriors at the Scotstoun on Saturday night.
For the Lions it was a case of too many errors at crucial times as they went 14-0 down and then fought their way back into the game as the clock ticked down in the second half.
But they were always going to be up against it, and with their loss, so ended South Africa’s participation in the European competitions as well.
Still, the Lions put in a commendable performance and had they had better finishing they could have been close to an upset against Franco Smith’s side.
The Lions frustrated themselves by dominating most of the territory and possession but not being clinical enough to get a victory away from home. By contrast, Glasgow scored when it mattered and showed the difference between themselves and the South African side when it comes to knockout rugby.
For all the disappoinment, there were some exceptional cameos by captain Marius Louw, scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba and No 8 Francke Horn, who was the Lions’ standout player on the night.
But the Lions would never recover from not being able to plant the knockout blow and in the end, the time ran out on them.
Glasgow though, started like a house on fire, scoring first through Jack Dempsey after a string of passes saw them dissect the Lions defence with ease.
A second try came after they stretched the Lions defence out wide, with Jamie Dobie dotting down for the home side.
The Lions attacked hard at the end of an extended first half, which ran almost seven minutes past the allotted time, but never broke down the Glasgow defence and had to settle for the scoreline at the break.
They finally got some reward early in the second half when Sanele Nohamba took a quick penalty and surged forward, planting the ball on the line as he caught Glasgow napping.
But just when the Lions were looking towards a comeback, Zander Fagerson scored from close range to extend the lead once again.
It took a stunning solo run by Horn to put the Lions into double figures, and again start them dreaming of a possible upset.
But Glasgow quickly shut that down with a penalty by George Horn and followed it up late in the game with a Tom Jordan try that settled the game beyond any contest and sent the team into the semifinals.
For the Lions, they will kick themselves at the lack of finishing, and know that they created more than enough chances to get close to winning.
But Glasgow’s defence was solid, and their ability to score when it mattered was the difference between the two teams.
A late try to replacement hooker Morne Brandon made the scoreline look more respectable, but in essence, the Lions were well-beaten.
Scorers
Glasgow Warriors – Tries:Jack Dempsey, Jamie Dobey, Zander Fagerson, Tom Jordan. Conversions:George Horne (4). Penalty: Horne
Emirates Lions – Tries: Sanele Nohamba, Francke Horn, Morne Brandon. Conversions:Nohamba, Gianni Lombard (2).
Meanwhile DHL Stormers were flat and out of sorts and crashed to a 42-17 loss to the Exeter Chiefs as they exited Europe at Sandy Park on Saturday night.
Scorers
Exeter Chiefs – Tries:Tom Wyatt, Jack Nowell, Olly Woodburn, Sam Simmonds, Jack Yeandle, Tom Cairns. Conversions:Joe Simmonds.
DHL Stormers – Tries:Damian Willemse, Suleiman Hartzenburg, Marvin Orie. Conversion:Manie Libbok.