Durban - The Lions overpowered an under-strength Stade Francais team 30-12 at Ellis Park on Friday night to get their EPCR Challenge Cup campaign nicely on track thanks to a full house of points after nailing the bonus-point try late in the game.
It was a young Stade Francais team that coach Gonzalo Quesada, the former Pumas flyhalf, brought to Ellis Park, having left his big guns in Paris to rest up before an essential Top 14 game next week, and they were full of pluck, but short on finesse.
The first points of the match came via the boot of Jordan Hendrikse after a tentative ten minutes from both sides and then Hendrikse brilliantly put away wing Quan Horn away with a long cut-out pass.
Hendrikse made it 13-0 with his second penalty before Horn scored another beauty — this time it was a team break out from the Lions’ 22 and then Horn opened the afterburners to scorch 50m to the line.
The Parisians had a try by Georgian prop Giorgio Melikidze disallowed because of a push from one of his teammates. Still, they did get one that counted right on halftime when scrumhalf James Hall, the former Kearsney College lad, dummied superbly from a ruck near the Lions’ line and had the strength to burrow over.
The third quarter of the game belonged to the Frenchmen as they valiantly tried to build on that try but the Lions’ defence held firm, and then with their first meaningful attack of the second half, Marius Louw burst through the midfield to set up Andries Coetzee for a sucker punch try.
Flyhalf Leo Barre scored Stade Francais’ second try with ten minutes to go, a 13-point differential was too much to make up, and the Lions finished with the crucial fourth try that only those at Ellis Park saw because the broadcast signal was lost.
Scorers
Lions - Tries: Quan Horn (2), Andries Coetzee, Unknown scorer. Penalties: Jordan Hendrikse (2). Conversions: Hendrikse (2)
Stade Francais - Tries: James Hall, Leo Barre. Conversions: Barre.
IOL Sport