Lynagh stars as Benetton add to Lions' dismal start
MATCH REPORT: The Lions suffered their third consecutive defeat of the United Rugby Championship season, going down 15-41 to Benetton in Treviso on Saturday.
The Italians were in scintillating form, backing up last weekend’s victory over Glasgow Warriors with another attacking masterclass.
*To recap all the action CLICK HERE!
They ran in six tries, with wing Louis Lynagh crossing the line four times. Rhyno Smith and Simone Ferrari also added to the scoreboard.
The Lions, by contrast, struggled to find cohesion, remaining winless after three rounds. They did manage two tries, courtesy of Asenathi Ntlabakanye and replacement Conraad van Vuuren, but it was not enough to challenge the dominant home side.
To make things worse, the Lions also lost the services of Springbok scrumhalf Morne van den Berg in the 10th minute.
It was a promising start for the Lions as they took an early 3-0 lead through a Chris Smit penalty.
However, Benetton soon seized control. The Italian side dominated possession and eventually opened their account when South African fullback Rhyno Smith dived over for the first try of the Round Three clash, though Jacob Umaga was unable to add the extras.
Louis Lynagh quickly extended Benetton’s advantage, finishing a superb counter-attack to score their second try of the evening.
The hosts were ruthless, and within 20 minutes they had their third. Prop Simone Ferrari powered over from close range, with Umaga slotting the conversion to stretch the lead to 17-3.
Lions’ winger Angelo Davids appeared to pull one back for the visitors, but the try was disallowed after he lost the ball forward in the act of grounding.
The Lions finally got on the board when Asenathi Ntlabakanye crashed over for their first try, with Smit’s successful conversion reducing the deficit to seven points.
Their joy was short-lived, however, as Lynagh crossed for his second try of the match, with Umaga adding the conversion to make it 24-10 in Benetton’s favour.
The Lions pushed hard in the closing stages of the half but ran out of space, heading into the break trailing by 14 points.
Benetton extended their lead to 17 points in the second half, with Umaga successful from a penalty for the first points of the stanza.
With the Italians reduced to 14 men, the Lions gradually found their rhythm. They kept Benetton pinned inside their own half and earned a five-metre line-out but failed to capitalize on the opportunity.
With 10 minutes remaining, Lynagh completed his hat-trick, and Umaga slotted the conversion to make it 34-10.
As the game drew to a close, the Lions fought to finish strongly. Conraad van Vuuren powered over the line after a well-executed pick-and-go, giving the visitors a glimmer of pride.
The final stages saw more drama, with both teams reduced to 14 men. Benetton won a scrum penalty and kept the Lions inside their own five-metre line before Rhyno Smith and Lynagh combined for the wing’s fourth try. Smith added the conversion to seal a comprehensive 41–15 victory.
Man of the match: South African Rhyno Smith put in another impressive performance, but for his four tries the award goes to Louis Lynagh.
The scorers:
For Benetton:
Tries: R. Smith, Lynagh 4, Ferrari
Cons: Umaga 3, R. Smith
Pen: Umaga
For Lions:
Tries: Ntlabakanye, Van Vuuren
Con: C. Smith
Pen: Smith
Yellow cards: Thomas Gallo (Benetton, 52 – off the ball tackle), Rynardt Jonker (Lions, 69 – cynical foul), Giuliano Avaca (Benetton, 79 – deliberate knock on), Quan Horn (Lions, 80 – deliberate knock on)
Teams:
Benetton:15 Rhyno Smith, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Tommaso Menoncello, 12 Malakai Fekitoa, 11 Ignacio Mendy, 10 Jacob Umaga, 9 Louis Werchon, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (captain), 6 Alessandro Izekor, 5 Eli Snyman, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Siua Maile, 1 Mirco Spagnolo
Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Thomas Gallo, 18 Giosué Zilocchi, 19 Riccardo Favretto, 20 John Bryant, 21 Andy Uren, 22 Giuliano Avaca, 23 Filippo Drago
Lions:15 Quan Horn, 14 Eduan Keyter, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 JC Pretorius, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 Franco Marais, 1 SJ Kotze
Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 RF Schoeman, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Darrien Landsberg, 20 Jarod Cairns, 21 Nico Steyn, 22 Sam Francis, 23 Manuel Rass
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Filipo Russo (Italy) & Luca Bisetto (Italy)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)
