Lions

A video that went viral on social media showed a couple of Lions forwards squashed into economy class on their flight back to South Africa. Photo: Gallo Images via SA Rugby

Lions keep South African flag flying in Challenge Cup

The Lions kept the South African flag flying in EPCR Challenge Cup with a stunning 51-28 win over Racing 92 on Saturday.

Lions

A video that went viral on social media showed a couple of Lions forwards squashed into economy class on their flight back to South Africa. Photo: Gallo Images via SA Rugby

The Lions delivered a sublime performance to beat French club Racing 92 by 51-28 in their Challenge Cup playoff in Johannesburg on Saturday evening.

Emmanuel Tshituka was shown a red card for a leading elbow while on a strong carry in the 18th minute. 

Lions march on in Challenge Cup

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However, that didn’t deter the men from Joburg. 

The Lions went on to score seven tries to four for an emphatic win that booked them a place in the quarter-finals against the Glasgow Warriors.

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The hosts varied their play brilliantly. 

Sometimes the Lions went straight up the middle and made ground, and at other times they spread it wide to expose space on the wings. 

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They started like a house on fire and scored two tries in the first seven minutes when skipper Marius Louw and livewire winger Edwill van der Merwe went over to put the hosts in a 12-0 lead.

The visitors hit back four minutes later with Thomas Moukoro’s first try. 

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Tshituka was shown red just after Sanele Nohamba had extended the Lions’ lead to 15-7 with a penalty goal.

Lions scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba is a Springbok hopeful
Lions scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba is a Springbok hopeful. Photo: Gallo Images.

Red card doesn’t stop mauling

However, the hosts scored next when Gianni Lombard put Rabz Maxwane into a gap to see the Lions go up 20-7.

Moukoro then got his second try in the 28th minute before Racing 92 had two tries ruled out.

These five-pointers would have given them a handy lead, but the Emirates Lions had nothing of it, and when they were presented with a last chance to score after the buzzer, they grabbed it with both hands.

From an attacking lineout, Ruan Venter shrugged off a number of tackles to barge over and where the score at the break could have been 28-20 to the French side, it was 27-14 to the hosts.

Ben Volavola scored shortly after the break to make it 27-21, but it only lasted a few minutes when Louw went over for his second try and Lombard also got in on the action, finishing after great interplay down the right. Nohamba converted both to make it a 20-point game.

Donovan Taofifenua, who had a try ruled out in the first half, got his five-pointer on the hour-mark. But that was it for the visitors. Meanwhile, the hosts were not done yet, with Nohamba scoring their seventh try after a superb run by Willem Alberts. A late penalty goal by Andries Coetzee saw them go past the half-century of points. Emphatic in every sense of the word.

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