The Lions picked up where the Stormers left off against Connacht on Friday night, beating another Irish side as they edged Leinster 27-26 in a United Rugby Championship humdinger at Ellis Park on Saturday.
It was a magnificent game of rugby, with spectacular backline play and brutal forward exchanges in equal measure. The sparse Ellis Park crowd got far more than their money’s worth.
The Lions were not short of heroes, but Erich Cronje was in a class of his own. Usually a centre but pressed into service on the wing, the 29-year-old produced an astonishing Player of the Match performance. He was a ball magnet, and almost every time it came his way, something special happened.
Leinster blasted out of the blocks, and it took a vital turnover penalty from captain Francke Horn a few metres from his line to prevent an early score.
Sadly for the Lions, the injury-prone Henco van Wyk lasted just two minutes before being forced off. The silver lining was that teenage sensation Ethan Adams was given an opportunity to live up to the hype.
The Lions’ sluggish start continued when they were penalised at the first scrum of the match, allowing the Irish visitors to open the scoring. After a siege of rucks, nuggety scrumhalf Fintan Gunne darted over for the first try.
But the Lions hit back almost immediately. Chris Smith’s long restart into the Leinster 22 was spilled by No 8 Josh Ericson, and the mistake proved costly. From the resulting scrum, Nico Steyn went blind and released Cronje, who raced clear to the posts.
Smith added the conversion and a penalty to put the Lions 10-5 ahead before Ericson made amends spectacularly. The No 8 burst through the Lions’ defence, drew fullback Henry Chamberlain and put Gunne away for his second try.
There was also some good news for the Lions when Van Wyk returned after passing his Head Impact Assessment.
The game was being played at breakneck speed, and both left wings produced moments of magic — only for Cronje and Leinster’s Tommy O’Brien to have tries ruled out after putting a foot in touch during acrobatic finishes.
Cronje was not to be denied for long. A slick set-piece move off a solid scrum created the opening, with Van Wyk producing a superb long pass to put Cronje over for his second try.
The action barely let up before half-time. Lions flyhalf Casper Gabriel ghosted through a gap and sent Gunne over for his hat-trick, giving Leinster a 19-17 lead at the break.
After the first-half fireworks, the third quarter became more of an arm wrestle.
Then, almost inevitably, Cronje was involved again. The wing won a turnover penalty at a breakdown in the 60th minute, and Smith’s dependable boot nudged the Lions back in front at 20-19.
From there, the two teams went hammer and tongs at each other in a gripping final quarter.
The result remained in the balance until the 78th minute, when the Lions produced a try as spectacular as the game itself. They worked the ball upfield through a series of phases from inside their own 22 before reaching the Leinster danger zone.
Then Smith spotted the opportunity and delivered a pinpoint cross-kick into space. Kelly Mpeku was unmarked, and the wing gathered cleanly to score the try that finally gave the Lions some breathing room.
After the hooter, Leinster centre Charlie Tector barged over to earn his team a losing bonus point. It was a fitting finish to a match that had been played at full throttle from the opening whistle.
Point-scorers
Lions — Tries: Erich Cronje (2), Kelly Mpeku. Conversions: Chris Smith (3). Penalties: Smith (2)
Leinster — Tries: Fintan Gunne (3), Charlie Tector. Conversions: Caspar Gabriel (3)
