Lions v Scarlets: Five takeaways as hosts’ ‘strong finish’ secures maiden win of URC season in basement battle
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.
Scarlets’ breakdown efforts encouraging
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.
Dwayne Peel’s troops failed to score any points in last weekend’s clash against the men from the Cape, but they delivered a much more competitive performance, especially at the breakdown battle, where the loose forward trio of Dan Davis, Taine Plumtree and Jarrod Taylor impressed.
Their Lions counterparts Francke Horn, Ruan Venter and JC Pretorious are no slouches in that department, with the latter especially renowned for being competitive in the breakdown battle.
However, Davis, Plumtree and Taylor won several turnovers, which meant it was a frustrating day at the office for the home side and although the Scarlets finished on the losing side, their breakdown work is something positive which they can build on ahead of next weekend’s encounter against the Sharks in Durban.
Lions scrum gives them an edge
Although this was a poor quality game, the home side will be happy with the efforts of their forwards at scrum time as they gave a good account of themselves at the set-piece, especially in the second half.
The Scarlets were solid in the scrums during the opening period, but the Lions’ front-row of Springboks tighthead prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye, loosehead SJ Kotze and hooker Marais dominated the set-piece after the break.
The Lions won two scrum penalties during the third quarter, with the second one resulting in Marais’ try off the back off a lineout drive deep inside Scarlets territory.
In the 64th minute, the aforementioned trio were replaced with Conraad van Vuuren, RF Schoeman and Brandon coming on as their replacements, but the reserve front-row continued with the good work as the Lions were still holding the upper hand in the scrums and their dominance certainly played a part in paving the way to victory.
Key contribution from Lions replacement
Early in the second half, the Lions’ starting fly-half, Chris Smith, was forced off the field after sustaining a head knock, and he was replaced by Gianni Lombard.
The replacement back made an immediate impact as soon after coming onto the field, he slotted a penalty which gave his side some breathing space as it increased their lead to 11-6.
He continued to make an impact during that stint on the field as he asked questions of the Scarlets’ defence with good attacking play, and he also left his stamp on the match with a monster kick into touch.
That effort was after the Lions were awarded a scrum penalty just inside their half, and Lombard put the ball out five metres from the Scarlets’ try-line.
The Lions launched a lineout drive from the resulting penalty from which Marais scored a try, and he will have Lombard to thank for making his task easier. Smith passed his HIA, which meant he returned to action 10 minutes later but during the game’s closing stages, Lombard replaced him permanently and the latter added the final nail in the visitors’ coffin when he slotted a penalty with the last act of the match.
What makes Lombard’s contribution extra special is the fact that he wasn’t in the initial matchday 23 but was added to the squad when Lubabalo Dobela withdrew on the day, and he certainly played his part in securing his side’s win.