The Lions secured a 27-19 victory over defending champions Leinster in their URC opener at Ellis Park on Saturday. Flyhalf Chris Smith played a crucial role, slotting two penalties and three conversions. His late cross kick to unmarked right wing Kelly Mpeka ultimately sealed the triumph. The match was largely scrappy, with both sides plagued by soft tries, handling errors, high-ball hiccoughs, and misjudged kicks.
Leinster, fielding an under-strength team, will rue their lack of experience behind the pack. Only three players who competed in the final against the Bulls turned out in Johannesburg. Prop Alex Usanov and right wing Tommy O’Brien started, while Harry Byrne came off the bench to score his team’s final try. Despite enjoying territorial advantage and having nearly 60% of possession, Leinster were unable to convert when they had the home team under pressure.
The Lions, on the other hand, were credited with 178 tackles to Leinster’s 100. The decision for Smith to kick the penalties proved critical. Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen admitted his defence had failed at times in the first half, saying, “We didn’t stop momentum, then they get momentum against you and they’re world class.” His team responded well in the second half, stopping momentum earlier and applying pressure differently.
Leinster scrumhalf scored a hattrick of tries in the first half, being in support to take the ball after breaks by his teammates. Left wing Erich Cronje, who scored two tries, and Mpeku hassled the Leinster defence. Centre Henco van Wyk executed a great break and pulled off a crucial try-saving tackle. This was the first time the Lions had beaten the Dublin outfit in five outings.
Leinster coach Leo Cullen wasn’t overly fussed by the performance of his squad, which included six academy players. “We were pretty pleased with lots of things in the first half in particular, maybe lost our way a little bit in the second half,” he said. He was impressed with the character shown to score the late try that earned them two bonus points.
Cullen recalled last season’s opener where a slightly more experienced Leinster was walloped 35-0 by the Stormers. “In round one with a large number of young players, we’ll take it and move onto the next challenge.” The Lions host the Ospreys next Saturday, while Leinster travel to Durban to face the Sharks.
The final scoreline was Lions 27 (17), with tries from Erich Cronje (2) and Kelly Mpeku, conversions from Chris Smith (3), and penalties from Smith (2). Leinster scored 26 (19), with tries from Fintan Gunne (3) and Stephen Smyth, conversions from Caspar Gabriel (2), and Harry Byrne.
Key points
- The Lions secured their first win over Leinster in five outings.
- Leinster fielded an under-strength team, including six academy players.
- The match was marked by soft tries, handling errors, and misjudged kicks from both sides.
