Lions in miracle comeback
● That the result of this match rested on the accuracy of one kick was perhaps unfair on everyone here. Least of all on the Lions’ young replacement flyhalf Gianni Lombard.
The rookie, who came on for Elton Jantjies with 10 minutes to go, took his time as those in attendance were reduced to a hush and no nails left to gnaw. Lombard struck sweetly through the middle of the uprights to hand the Lions an unlikely win.
The Lions were buried at 33-5 after 43 minutes. Wholly outplayed in a dreadful first half punctuated by error and misadventure, they found their mojo in the second half, but not before the Rebels streaked even further ahead immediately after the break.
They were staring down both barrels and few had hope for a miraculous revival, but the hosts’ forwards with Kwagga Smith, Marnus Schoeman, Carlu Sadie and Malcolm Marx leading the charge, slowly but inexorably found a foothold,
With the sudden surfeit of possession rookie fullback Tyrone Green and centre Wandisile Simelane also started sowing the seeds of a comeback.
Green was a live wire but the player who brought real spark was substitute centre Lionel Mapoe.
The Lions built pressure and the Rebels were forced into penalties and lost Billy Meaks to a yellow card. Meaks could only watch as the Lions ran in three tries.
The crowd was in raptures as Lombard struck the winning penalty but the Lions are in need of much revision before they take on the Sunwolves in Singapore next week.
The well organised and drilled Rebels were alert and quick to any opportunity that fell their way. They had greater clarity in their game plan.
The Rebels arrived as one of only two teams unbeaten in this season’s Super Rugby competition and for the first half hour the visitors showed what has earned them the right to be mentioned in the same breath as the Crusaders as the only unbeaten teams.
When the Lions got themselves into promising positions they fluffed their lines. They lost their capacity to maul. Their driving maul proved ineffectual against a well organised unit.