Gianni Lombard shone off the bench for the Lions while Joe Roberts (inset) crossed for a Scarlets try.
Following the Lions’ 29-18 over the Scarlets in their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the thrilling action.
The top line
These teams came into this encounter sitting at the foot of the URC table, with the Lions occupying 15th position and the Scarlets firmly rooted at the bottom of the standings in 16th place.
The opening exchanges were scrappy, and after Sam Costelow gave the visitors an early lead in the 12th minute via a penalty, the game came alive when Quan Horn crossed for the opening try midway through the half, and that meant the home side held a slender 5-3 lead at the interval.
The second half saw Smith adding a three-pointer off the kicking tee soon after the restart before Costelow narrowed the gap to two points again when he added a penalty in the 50th minute.
However, the Lions led 11-6 by the 53rd minute when replacement Gianni Lombard slotted a penalty, and five minutes later Franco Marais put more daylight between the hosts and Scarlets when he crossed for a well-taken try.
In the 68th minute, the home side were reduced to 14 men when Darrien Landsberg was yellow carded for illegally collapsing a Scarlets drive close to his try-line and the Welsh region were also awarded a penalty try, which meant the match was evenly poised with the Lions holding a 16-13 lead.
However, the Lions soon took control of proceedings with replacement hooker Morne Brandon scoring a couple of tries in quick succession, which secured the win for the home side.
The Scarlets did not surrender, however, and their efforts were rewarded when Joe Roberts scored a well-taken try in the 77th minute, but Lombard sealed his side’s win when he slotted his second penalty in the game’s dying moments.
Strong Lions second half showing key to victory
The Lions came into this fixture under tremendous pressure, after losing their first three matches of the season against Cardiff, Zebre Parma and Benetton.
Despite having home ground advantage in this match, they did not hit the ground running as their first half performance left a lot to be desired, although they went into the interval holding that narrow lead.
One can’t help but think that they would have been trailing on the scoreboard if they had been up against stronger opposition, as the Scarlets did not take advantage of some opportunities presented to them.
However, the second half saw more urgency from Ivan van Rooyen’s charges as they certainly got better as the match progressed, and the Lions’ replacements deserve plenty of credit for being instrumental in their strong finish.
Special mention goes to Brandon and Lombard for the impact they made off the bench, and both played big roles in the grander scheme of things.
Just like their opponents, the Scarlets came into this encounter in a desperate mood as they started their URC campaign with back-to-back home defeats against Ulster and the Stormers.
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Lions v Scarlets: Five takeaways as hosts’ ‘strong finish’ secures maiden win of URC season in basement battle
David Skippers 5 hours ago
Following the Lions’ 29-18 over the Scarlets in their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the thrilling action.
The top line
These teams came into this encounter sitting at the foot of the URC table, with the Lions occupying 15th position and the Scarlets firmly rooted at the bottom of the standings in 16th place.
The opening exchanges were scrappy, and after Sam Costelow gave the visitors an early lead in the 12th minute via a penalty, the game came alive when Quan Horn crossed for the opening try midway through the half, and that meant the home side held a slender 5-3 lead at the interval.
The second half saw Smith adding a three-pointer off the kicking tee soon after the restart before Costelow narrowed the gap to two points again when he added a penalty in the 50th minute.
However, the Lions led 11-6 by the 53rd minute when replacement Gianni Lombard slotted a penalty, and five minutes later Franco Marais put more daylight between the hosts and Scarlets when he crossed for a well-taken try.
In the 68th minute, the home side were reduced to 14 men when Darrien Landsberg was yellow carded for illegally collapsing a Scarlets drive close to his try-line and the Welsh region were also awarded a penalty try, which meant the match was evenly poised with the Lions holding a 16-13 lead.
However, the Lions soon took control of proceedings with replacement hooker Morne Brandon scoring a couple of tries in quick succession, which secured the win for the home side.
The Scarlets did not surrender, however, and their efforts were rewarded when Joe Roberts scored a well-taken try in the 77th minute, but Lombard sealed his side’s win when he slotted his second penalty in the game’s dying moments.
Strong Lions second half showing key to victory
The Lions came into this fixture under tremendous pressure, after losing their first three matches of the season against Cardiff, Zebre Parma and Benetton.
Despite having home ground advantage in this match, they did not hit the ground running as their first half performance left a lot to be desired, although they went into the interval holding that narrow lead.
One can’t help but think that they would have been trailing on the scoreboard if they had been up against stronger opposition, as the Scarlets did not take advantage of some opportunities presented to them.
However, the second half saw more urgency from Ivan van Rooyen’s charges as they certainly got better as the match progressed, and the Lions’ replacements deserve plenty of credit for being instrumental in their strong finish.
Special mention goes to Brandon and Lombard for the impact they made off the bench, and both played big roles in the grander scheme of things.
Scarlets’ breakdown efforts encouraging
Connacht v Bulls: Five takeaways as ‘deadly’ De Klerk is key provider in narrow victory that isn’t without controversy
Just like their opponents, the Scarlets came into this encounter in a desperate mood as they started their URC campaign with back-to-back home defeats against Ulster and the Stormers.