The Lions finally had reason to smile again after a 26-7 win over Irish visitors Connacht in their United Rugby Championship clash at Ellis Park on April 26, 2025. The Johannesburg side ended a five-match losing streak and welcomed back midfield ace Henco van Wyk, who has been a standout in an up-and-down season that has been more down than up of late. But even he struggled to spark this match to life. That honour went to youngster Renzo du Plessis, who scored the opening try of the game in the 13th minute of a match that was a slow burner until very late on. Flyhalf Kade Wolhuter missed his conversion attempt, yet the Lions started the match in steady enough fashion, although they were far from spectacular.
It was a cagey affair in the first stanza. The Lions were coming off an error-strewn few matches and seemed determined to err on the side of caution. They did manage to keep the error count down, but seemed to sacrifice any sense of adventure to achieve that. The visitors, for their part, looked a far cry from the team that almost snatched a late victory against the Stormers last week in a thrilling encounter in Cape Town. They did not appear to have the firepower or the ambition to break down an organized Lions defence.
Wolhuter extended the home side’s lead with a penalty from in front of the post, and he landed another to make the halftime score 11-0. Another penalty early in the second half from Wolhuter made the score 14-0. The game still lacked spark, however, and Du Plessis picked up a yellow card for tripping a Connacht player shortly thereafter. The Irish side thought they had scored from a rolling maul off a lineout, but the try was ruled out for an infringement in the maul.
Lions speedster Edwill van der Merwe also thought he had scored in the 59th minute after a break down the wing, but that try was ruled out for head contact by a Lions player in a tackle in the build-up. The Lions eventually breached the Connacht line again via a JC Pretorius try after some slick interplay, but Wolhuter again missed the conversion attempt, making it 19-0.
Connacht replacement scrumhalf Colm O’Riley was stretched off injured after landing awkwardly in a tackle, adding to the visitors' woes. Connacht set up a rolling maul in the 72nd minute, but the Lions' defence stood firm until Eoin de Buitlear barged over the whitewash. The conversion was good, giving Connacht their first points of the match.
However, the Lions were not done yet. Nico Steyn had the ball knocked out of his hand when it looked for all money like he would score over the Connacht tryline after brilliant work from winger Richard Kriel had set him up. Van der Merwe was unlucky again when he just failed to hang onto the ball after a kick chase. It was a case of third time lucky for Sharks-bound Van der Merwe, who chased down his own kick and dotted down, with Lubabalo Dobela slotting the conversion.
The result kept alive the Lions’ very slim hopes of a place in the playoffs, ending a miserable losing sequence. Du Plessis was named Player of the Match for his industry, energy, and strong all-round play. The Lions scored 26 points with tries from Renzo du Plessis, JC Pretorius, and Edwill van der Merwe, one conversion from Lubabalo Dobela, and three penalties from Kade Wolhuter. Connacht scored 7 points with a try from Eoin de Buitlear and one conversion from David Hawkshaw.
Following the Lions’ victory, there were five key takeaways from the clash at Ellis Park. The top line is that the Lions snapped a five-game losing streak to keep their unlikely chances of making the URC play-offs alive. It was a far more complete performance from the Jo’burgers, who were well off the pace a week ago against Benetton. Rising star Renzo du Plessis put the Lions ahead as he thundered over the line in the fifth minute, with a pair of penalties from Kade Wolhuter keeping the scoreboard ticking over as the hosts led 11-0 at the break.
Du Plessis would visit the sin bin after Wolhuter made it 14-0 early in the second half, as the Lions showed real fight and accuracy on defence to keep Connacht scoreless for 74 minutes. Nilling Connacht, a team that ran in five tries against the Stormers last week, should not be sniffed at, as the Jaque Fourie-coached defence finally clicked. The Lions were boosted by the return of Henco van Wyk in the number 13 jersey, and he made a telling difference in the side’s defensive efforts.
The Lions kicked much more against Connacht than they did in their defeat to Benetton; they kicked just 19 times against the Italians but had far surpassed that tally by the hour mark. Rassie Erasmus, South Africa’s Springboks boss, was watching the game to see how the Lions were faring against the Irish outfit with the Springboks' first Tests of the year fast approaching.
Du Plessis was named Man of the Match despite his yellow card, in a performance that justified the Springboks coaching team’s interest. He is cut from the same cloth as Kwagga Smith and shone in what was his first start of the season for the side. In the same breath, Pretorius was similarly impactful, showing real fight in his carries and taking the Connacht defenders with him as he regularly gained metres while not shying away on defence.
As both teams look to be all-but out of the race for the URC play-offs, Connacht’s chances were dealt a savage blow today. The Irish province headed into the weekend with a 17% probability of cracking the top eight, but failure to take a single point is surely the final nail in the coffin. Meanwhile, the Lions’ hopes were given a shot in the arm today, particularly with home matches against the Scarlets and Ospreys up next. They will have long odds to sneak in and will require some results elsewhere to go their way.
