Johannesburg - A thoroughly middling performance in the first half from the Lions, saw the hosts escape with a draw in their EPCR Challenge Cup debut at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday.
The Lions should never have allowed the Dragons to rack up 24 points during the first 40. The Joburgers looked sometimes perplexed and disinterested in defence as the Welsh side ran in four tries in the first stanza.
It was a lead-footed performance, with the Dragons looking decidedly more focussed. Perhaps it was a degree of complacency on the part of the Lions, or the small crowd muted in the cathedral of Ellis Park, but the Lions battled to find their rhythm, or any momentum, moving from one play to the next without much intent.
Lacklustre defending was then the main contributor in the first try of the game as Matthew Screech shrugged off a handful of poor tackles to put fullback Jordan Williams in to canter over the tryline. That seemed to wake up the Lions from their befuddlement for a moment as they struck back immediately through a mixture of forwards and backs interplay play, Gianni Lombard juggling the ball as he dotted down over the whitewash.
The game ebbed and flowed at this point, with both teams trading blows. First scrumhalf Rhodri Williams – who was a major influence on the game - crawled over, followed by a power maul by the Lions, with Asenathi Ntlabakanye almost fumbling possessions as he crashed over to equalise the scores 17-17.
Sam Davies ended the first half with advantage to the visitors as he combined well with Rhodri Williams, who offloaded in a tackle on the five-metre line to watch his on-rushing teammate score.
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There must have been some harsh words spoken in the shed at half-time, for the Lions returned with fire in their bellies. Edwill van der Merwe was the happy recipient on both occasions within a 10-minute period. His second try was particularly pleasing as it saw Jaco Kriel stretch his legs after a clever dummy, offloading with a turn as he was tackled just in-front of the tryline.
Kriel, it must be said, had a top game, showing that there is still gas in the well-traversed 33-year-old’s tank.
The introduction of Jordan Hendrikse also played a major role, although one can feel for Lombard – the starting 10 did little wrong in the first half by slotting his kicks and scoring points through his boot and a try.
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Nevertheless, Hendrikse’s booming boot brought an important dimension to the game as he could drive the Dragons back territorially, something Lombard could not do. Nevertheless, the problem of shipping so many points in the first stanza remained, and the Dragons took advantage of that fact by restoring parity through centre Jack Dixon and a conversion with 15 minutes to play.
A yellow card tfor JP Smith would make it more difficult for the Lions to claim victory, and it became apparent as the minutes ticked away that an improved defensive effort and poor attacking opportunities from the Lions would result in a draw.
The Dragons were also guilty of not slotting over opportunities that could see them win the game, opting for ill advised set-pieces that resulted in a zero-net gain.
Hendrikse had an opportunity to claim an unlikely victory with the last kick of the match, but while his 60m effort at poles had the legs, it did not have the direction. He looked on dejected, while the Dragons will leave South Africa content with the three points they collected here.
Emirates Lions (17) 31
Tries: Lombard, Ntlabakanye, Van der Merwe (2); Conversions: Lombard (2), Hendrikse (2); Penalty: Lombard
Yellow Card: JP Smith
Dragons (24) 31
Tries: J Williams, R Williams, S Davies, Dixon; Conversion: S Davies (4); Penalty: S Davies
IOL Sport