Oh, the agony! The Lions' quest for their elusive first victory in this season’s Vodacom URC remains just that—a quest—after getting trampled 41-15 by a rampant Benetton in Treviso. Louis Lynagh, not content with just a hat trick, dazzled with four tries, leaving the Lions licking their wounds and questioning their tactics.
The match started with a glimmer of hope for the Lions as flyhalf Chris Smith booted a penalty to grab the early lead. But that glimmer was quickly snuffed out by Benetton’s relentless attack, pounding in three tries in the first quarter alone. Rhyno Smith kicked things off, followed swiftly by Lynagh and Simeone Ferrari, who both found the try line with alarming ease. Jacob Umaga’s boot was true, adding the conversions to push the score to 17-3.
"We started well, but couldn't maintain the intensity. It’s a tough pill to swallow,"
admitted a visibly frustrated Ivan van Rooyen, the Lions' head coach.The Lions did show a brief spark before the break when Springbok prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye bulldozed over the line. However, any momentum gained was quickly quelled as Lynagh scooted over for his second, sending Benetton into halftime comfortably ahead at 24-10.
After the break, the Italian side didn't let up. Umaga widened the gap with a penalty, and although Benetton’s Thomas Gallo saw yellow, the Lions failed to capitalize. Instead, they were soon a man down themselves when Rhynhardt Jonker took a ten-minute sit-down. Benetton, ruthless, took immediate advantage with Lynagh completing his hat-trick.
Replacement prop Conraad van Vuuren did dive over late for the Lions, but Lynagh had the last laugh, crossing for his fourth and final try in the dying moments of the game. This left the scoreboard reading a rather lopsided 41-15 at full time, sending the Lions back home winless and weary.
The Lions will now regroup and hope for better fortunes against the Scarlets, while Benetton looks to carry their form into their next game in Scotland against Edinburgh. With the Lions still searching for a winning formula, the pressure mounts as each game passes.
Teams:
BENETTON – Tries: Rhyno Smith, Louis Lynagh (4), Simone Ferrari; Conversions: Jacob Umaga (3), Smith; Penalty: Umaga.
LIONS – Tries: Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Conraad van Vuuren; Conversion: Chris Smith; Penalty: Smith.