The Lions delivered a commanding performance to defeat Connacht 26-7 in Johannesburg, significantly denting Connacht's hopes of securing a spot in the United Rugby Championship (URC) play-offs.

Match Overview

In contrast to their previous high-scoring encounter against the Stormers, Connacht struggled to find their rhythm in this match. The Lions took control early, with Renzo du Plessis scoring the first try in the 14th minute after a slick offloading sequence in Connacht's 22. Fly-half Kade Wolhuter missed the conversion but later added two penalties to extend the Lions' lead to 11-0 by halftime.

Second Half Action

The Lions continued their dominance after the break, with Wolhuter adding another penalty. However, the hosts were temporarily reduced to 14 players when Du Plessis was sin-binned for a trip on Santiago Cordero. Connacht thought they had capitalized on the numerical advantage when Dylan Tierney-Martin appeared to score, but the try was disallowed due to obstruction.

The Lions also had a try ruled out when Edwill van der Merwe's spectacular solo effort was called back for a high tackle earlier in the play. Despite these setbacks, the Lions secured a deserved try through JC Pretorius, who finished off Jarod Cairns' offload.

Connacht's Response

Connacht managed to get on the scoreboard with seven minutes remaining, thanks to Eoin de Buitlear's try, converted by David Hawkshaw. However, the Lions had the final say as Van der Merwe pounced on a loose ball to score and seal the victory.

Implications for the URC Table

This defeat leaves Connacht in 14th place, five points adrift of the top eight with two matches remaining. The Lions, meanwhile, move up to 13th, keeping their play-off hopes alive.

Team Line-ups

Lions: Horn; Kriel; Van Wyk, Mills; Van der Merwe; Wolhuter, Van den Berg; Naude, Visagie, Ntlabakanye; R Schoeman, Delport; Pretorius, Du Plessis, Cairns. Replacements: Botha, Kotze, RF Schoeman, Landsberg, Esterhuizen, Steyn, Dobela, Jonker.

Connacht: O'Conor; Bolton; Hawkshaw, Forde; Jennings; Carty, Devine; Dooley, Tierney-Martin, Aungier; Murphy, Joyce; Prendergast, Oliver, Jansen. Replacements: De Buitlear, Duggan, Illo, Dowling, Boyle, Reilly, Gavin, Cordero.