Lions hold on for win in Joburg
Edinburgh ended their South African tour with a tough defeat at the hands of the Emirates Lions.
The hosts came out on top in a scrappy encounter, played out in sapping conditions in the heat and altitude at Emirates Airline Park. Both sides have garnered praise for their attacking rugby in the United Rugby Championship, however it was a game that was dominated by kicking and attritional play.
Edinburgh took the lead thanks to the thunderous boot of Henry Immelman, landing a drop goal from the half-way line. The hosts looked to build with a series of probing attacks, however it was Edinburgh who managed to extend their lead, with Boffelli capitalising on a penalty infringement with a long-range kick.
The Lions grabbed the first try of the contest shortly after, the dangerous Morne van den Berg sniping down the short side, ably supported by Jordan Hendrikse who was able to dot down. The conversion was wayward, and saw Edinburgh take a slender one-point lead into the break.
After a tight first-half, the second kicked off in breathless fashion, with the game turning on its head in the blink of an eye. Edinburgh looked to have scored a stunning try, with Kinghorn breaking from deep, before crossing in the corner after the visitors went through the phases. There was a knock on in the build-up, however, and the try was chalked off.
Momentum swung in an instant, with Bradbury being shown a yellow card for taking a man out off the ball – just moments after the disallowed try. The Lions capitalised in devastating fashion, scoring from another blindside break, Tshituka finishing to give the Lions the lead.
The sides exchanged penalties, with Edinburgh continuining to throw everything at the Lions to try and force an opening. The crucial moment came when the home defence managed to scramble and hold up Mark Bennett after a typically rampant break from the centre, and despite some hearty efforts from the Edinburgh men, it proved too little to break down the hosts.
live commentary 3:05 PM Saturday 2 Apr 2022
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Lions
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Tiaan Swanepoel
23. Replacement0metres made
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Henco van Wyk
22. Replacement0metres made
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Andre Warner
21. Replacement0metres made
15MINUTES PLAYED
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Sibusiso Sangweni
20. Replacement0metres made
11MINUTES PLAYED
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Ruan Venter
19. Replacement0metres made
16MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Asenathi Ntlabakanye
18. Replacement0metres made
46MINUTES PLAYED
4TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Sti Sithole
17. Replacement0metres made
13MINUTES PLAYED
1TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Morne Brandon
16. Replacement0metres made
4MINUTES PLAYED
1TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Emmanuel Tshituka
8. Number 820metres made
69MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
3COMPLETE PASSES
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Vincent Tshituka
7. Back-row56metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
12TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
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Francke Horn
6. Back-row30metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
8TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Reinhard Nothnagel
5. Second-row0metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
6TACKLES MADE
3COMPLETE PASSES
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Ruben Schoeman
4. Second-row13metres made
64MINUTES PLAYED
9TACKLES MADE
4COMPLETE PASSES
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Carlu Sadie
3. Tighthead prop0metres made
34MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
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PJ Botha
2. Hooker43metres made
76MINUTES PLAYED
7TACKLES MADE
3COMPLETE PASSES
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Jean-Pierre Smith
1. Loosehead prop17metres made
67MINUTES PLAYED
0TACKLES MADE
3COMPLETE PASSES
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Morne van den Berg
9. Scrum-half39metres made
65MINUTES PLAYED
5TACKLES MADE
53COMPLETE PASSES
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Jordan Hendrikse
10. Stand-off24metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
12TACKLES MADE
10COMPLETE PASSES
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Edwill van der Merwe
11. Wing26metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
6COMPLETE PASSES
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Manuel Rass
12. Inside-centre7metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
17TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Wandisile Simelane
13. Outside-centre9metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Rabz Maxwane
14. Wing6metres made
76MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Quan Horn
15. Full-back12metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
3COMPLETE PASSES
Edinburgh Rugby
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Henry Immelman
15. Full-back43metres made
65MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Darcy Graham
14. Wing55metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
5COMPLETE PASSES
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Mark Bennett
13. Outside-centre38metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
3COMPLETE PASSES
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James Lang
12. Inside-centre25metres made
72MINUTES PLAYED
6TACKLES MADE
8COMPLETE PASSES
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Emiliano Boffelli
11. Wing65metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
1TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Blair Kinghorn
10. Stand-off87metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
5TACKLES MADE
27COMPLETE PASSES
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Ben Vellacott
9. Scrum-half38metres made
62MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
43COMPLETE PASSES
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Pierre Schoeman
1. Loosehead prop0metres made
59MINUTES PLAYED
6TACKLES MADE
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Stuart McInally
2. Hooker3metres made
44MINUTES PLAYED
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WP Nel
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62MINUTES PLAYED
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Pierce Phillips
4. Second-row4metres made
56MINUTES PLAYED
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Grant Gilchrist
5. Second-row11metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
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Magnus Bradbury
6. Back-row39metres made
69MINUTES PLAYED
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Hamish Watson
7. Back-row12metres made
44MINUTES PLAYED
9TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
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Ben Muncaster
8. Number 829metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
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David Cherry
16. Replacement11metres made
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Boan Venter
17. Replacement12metres made
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Luan de Bruin
18. Replacement0metres made
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Glen Young
19. Replacement11metres made
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Connor Boyle
20. Replacement8metres made
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Charlie Shiel
21. Replacement10metres made
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Jaco van der Walt
22. Replacement31metres made
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Matt Currie
23. Replacement0metres made
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