Lions come up short in Cardiff

03/22/2025 12:54 AM

Replacement flanker Sibabalo Qoma was held up over the line and the referee blew the final whistle as the Lions were edged by Cardiff at Arms Park on Friday night.

The hosts converted a 10-7 half-time deficit into a 20-17 victory, only just surviving a Lions fightback that ended with the ball held inches above the slippery 3G artificial pitch in the 81st minute of the match in the Welsh capital.

The Lions were overly optimistic about the combination of the conditions and the surface, guilty of playing faster than their ability to retain ruck integrity and this resulted in a number of turnovers and penalties. Cash van Rooyen’s troops switched to a more direct approach in the second 40 to better effect, but Cardiff must be credited for their resilience in defence, lining up for more than 200 tackles at 90-percent efficiency.

Asenathi Ntlabakanye powered across the line to give the Lions a 7-0 lead before Cardiff flanker Ben Donnell replied, flyhalf Callum Sheedy adding the extras and then a penalty to put the home team into a three-point lead at the break.

Sheedy and Lions flyhalf Gianni Lombard traded penalties after the restart before an impressive solo effort from Francke Horn at the end of the third quarter resulted in the No 8 finding a patch of polyethylene to ground the ball under the sticks for a 17-13 lead.

Again, the hosts rallied with a response as winger Harri Millard intercepted a silly pass from Lions centre Marius Louw and beat Quan Horn in a race for the line at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

The Lions were reduced to 14 men when Lombard was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock down with seven minutes to go. Down by three, the Lions were awarded a five-metre scrum. After multiple phases on the line, Qoma charged for pay dirt but was held up and Italian referee Federico Vedovelli blew the final whistle.

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