Junior Bok shines as Lions thump Lyon

MATCH REPORT: The Lions recorded their first win in the Challenge Cup as they upended a resilient Lyon 42-33.

The Lions’ latest recruit, Batho Hlekani, had the perfect introduction at the Lions as he managed to round off a movement after a nice little backhand pass by Morne van den Berg sent him over on debut.

Hlekani was elevated to the starting line-up after Siba Qoma was injured in the warm-up before the game, and Sibabalwe Mahashe was added to the bench.

Charly Mignot picked up a loose pass from the Lions as they looked to attack from their own try line and glided over for the visitors to get on the scoreboard early.

Paddy Jackson added the extras.

Then it was Lions winger Richard Kriel who got over for the second try of the game.

It was Kriel once more who instigated their third try after some straight running, and switched angles to pass to Quan Horn, who rounded off under the poles.

Lyon prop Hamza Kaabeche got his marching orders after a high tackle from this move.

Lyon managed to string together a few positive plays and ended up in the home team’s 22, but lost the ball. A penalty to the Lions was kicked into the corner to relieve pressure.

Angelo Davids tried to offload a few meters from the try line and knocked it forward in the process, and it was a missed opportunity.

Another touchfinder by Smith just before halftime saw the Lions drive once more. Van den Berg sent the ball to Hlekani, then Delport, and eventually Renzo du Plessis got over for their bonus point try.

This was followed by incisive passing by Lyon, finished off by Alexandre Tchaptchet, as he went over for the try just before the hooter went, closing the gap to 14-28 after the successful conversion by Jackson.

The visitors started the second half in earnest as Iosefo Balewairiki broke away and popped the ball to scrumhalf Esteban Gonzalez with superb support play to finish off in the corner.

This was followed by another try to the Lions after a beautiful little dink overhead by Van den Berg, perfectly weighted for Angelo Davids to dot down.

Smith converted to stretch their lead to 35-19.

But Lyon was on the hunt again, finding tough five metres out. Hlekani managed to steal the ball, underlining his first outing in a Lions jersey in style.

Lyon persisted, staying in the red zone, and it worked. Hooker Mathis Sarragallet exploited an opening and forced his way over to claim their bonus point try.

With 20 minutes left on the clock, the homeside was leading 35-26, but Lyon seemed to be the more determined team in the second half.

Quan Horn had a chance to grab another five-pointer after an excellent break, but the ball was tapped backwards by Jiuta Wainiqolo, relieving pressure for Lyon.

Lyon, true to their name of Brave Warriors, had not given up, taking every opportunity to edge ever closer to the red zone.

The visitors threw everything and the kitchen sink at the Lions, and grabbed their fifth try as Alfred Parisien scored under the posts.

Jackson added the extras, and it was a two-point game, the Lions leading narrowly by 35-33.

It was helter-skelter stuff in the last five minutes as play went both ways, first by Lyon and the Lions.

And then the Lions won a penalty. They opted to kick for touch, backing their line-out option while this area of their game was dismal.

A second penalty went their way following an offside call.

Morne Brandon drove through the defenders from the tap and go and scored, clinching this tight encounter by 42-33.

Man of the Match: Batho Hlekani on debut was a menace – on attack and defence, and one vital steal. Considering he learned last minute he was starting, this was an impressive performance by the Junior Bok.

The scorers:

For Lions:
Tries: Hlekani, Kriel, Horn, Du Plessis, Davids, Brandon
Cons: Smith 6

For Lyon:
Tries: Mignot, Tchaptchet, Gonzalez, Sarragallet, Parisien
Cons: Jackson 4

Yellow card: Hamza Kaabeche (Lyon, 28’ – high tackle)

Teams:

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Richard Kriel, 13 Erich Cronje, 12 Bronson Mills, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Batho Hlekani, 6 Renzo du Plessis, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Dylan Sjoblom, 3 Conraad van Vuuren, 2 PJ Botha, 1 Eddie Davids
Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 RF Schoeman, 18 Sebastian Lombard, 19 Ruben Schoeman, 20 Sibabalwe Mahashe, 21 Haashim Pead, 22 Henco van Wyk, 23 Rabz Maxwane

Lyon: 15 Alexandre Tchaptchet, 14 Charly Mignot, 13 Alfred Parisien, 12 Josiah Maraku, 11 Arthur Mathiron, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Esteban Gonzalez, 8 Arno Botha, 7 Beka Saginadze, 6 Antoine Deliance (captain), 5 Killian Geraci, 4 Félix Lambey, 3 Cedate Gomes Sa, 2 Mathis Sarragallet, 1 Hamza Kaabeche
Replacements: 16 Thomas Marceline, 17 Jérôme Rey, 18 Ave Maalo, 19 Mickael Guillard, 20 Liam Allen, 21 Lilian Baret, 22 Iosefo Balewairiki, 23 Jiuta Wainiqolo