Lions claw their way past Rebels

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 20: Armand Van Der Merwe of the Lions is tackled by Sean McMahon of the Rebels during the round six Super Rugby match between the Rebels and the Lions at AAMI Park on March 20, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 20: Armand Van Der Merwe of the Lions is tackled by Sean McMahon of the Rebels during the round six Super Rugby match between the Rebels and the Lions at AAMI Park on March 20, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Published Mar 20, 2015

Share

Melbourne - Lionel Mapoe crossed for a match-winning try in the 78th minute as the Lions fought back from 13-0 down to beat the inconsistent Melbourne Rebels 20-16 in Super Rugby on Friday.

The Rebels (2-3) only had themselves to blame for the loss in front of their home supporters, with flyhalf Mike Harris missing three crucial kicks as the Lions recorded only their second win in six games this season.

It looked like another road defeat for the South African conference's perennial basement dwellers when centre Mitch Inman and fullback Jonah Placid put the Rebels 13-0 ahead with tries in the first 12 minutes after an early Harris penalty.

But those were the last points the Rebels would score for almost an hour as they failed to make the most of having the travel-weary Lions on the rack.

Elton Jantjies put the Lions on the board with a late penalty at the end of the first half to make it 13-3, with flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff closing the gap further four minutes after the break with the Lions' first try.

Jantjies converted and levelled the scores at 13-13 with a second penalty in the 61st minute before Harris ended the Rebels' drought with another three pointer to edge the hosts back in front.

Both sides missed further kicks at goal as the Rebels looked set to record rare back-to-back victories only for the Lions to snatch it through Mapoe at the death. – Reuters

Related Topics: