Cape Town — The Lions put in a solid shift at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea as they beat Ospreys 28-27 to pick up their first win of the United Rugby Championship season
After starting the campaign in disappointing fashing last week with a defeat to local rivals the Bulls, Ivan van Rooyen’s side showed much improvement in Saturday’s spirited performance in Wales.
The match in Swansea was a see-saw battle, which saw the home side outscore the Lions by four tries to three. However, the boot of Gianni Lombaard kept the score ticking over, and the Joburg-based team in touch.
The Lions’ tries came from Francke Horn, Sanele Nohamba, and Edwill van der Merwe, while Keelan Giles (twice), Rhys Webb and Dewi Lake went over the line for the Welsh side.
The win sees the Lions shoot up to ninth on the overall URC table, but they remain bottom of the South African conference after two games.
Van Rooyen will hope his team can keep the momentum when they head to the Welsh capital next week to take on Cardiff at Cardiff Arms Park. Ospreys, on the other hand, will hope to get back to winning ways when they welcome Glasgow Dragons to the Liberty Stadium.
Point-scorers
Ospreys 27 — Tries: Keelan Giles (2), Rhys Webb and Dewi Lake. Conversions: Jack Walsh (2). Penalty: Jack Walsh
Lions 28 — Tries: Francke Horn, Sanele Nohamba, Edwill van der Merwe. Conversions: Gianni Lombard (2). Penalties: Gianni Lombard (3)
IOL Sport