Much-improved Lions go down 21-13 to Leinster

Johannesburg - The Lions played their best rugby of the year but still lost 21-13 to perennial Uniter Rugby Championship champions Leinster in Dublin on Friday evening, but they can hold their heads up high after a plucky performance.

Most rugby folk were expecting a rout given Leinster’s pedigree and the Lions' lowly place in the standings, but the South Africans produced the best rugby they had played since they shocked the Stormers in Cape Town in December, their last victory before four heavy losses going into this match.

The Lions responded to defence coach Jaque Fourie’s call to arms and they kept Leinster from scoring a bonus-point try, which is unusual for the free-scoring Irish team.

Key to the Lions’ much-improved showing was their excellent set-piece, especially their scrum, which had the Leinster pack in retreat at almost every engagement. That set scrum exerted so much pressure on Leinster that they were forced into conceding an uncharacteristic eight penalties in the first half alone, a figure they normally conceded in an entire game.

ALSO READ: Bulls’ slow poison wears down Zebre in bonus-point win in Parma

But for all the praise the Lions deserve for losing with honour, they still return from Dublin without a log point for their effort and knowing that they had plenty of opportunities to score more points and, indeed, they could have won the game had they not been so wasteful.

They started the game well when Carlu Sadie propelled the set scrum forward to earn a penalty. Jordan Hendrikse, back from a long-term injury, missed the shot at goal and then missed a second opportunity a minute later, and these were both inside the first four minutes.

And having weathered something of a storm, Leinster scored with