Newcastle 14 - 10 Lions

Full time

13 Dec 2025

Stage: Pool 2 Round 2

Kingston Park

The Newcastle Red Bulls secured a narrow 14-10 victory over the Lions in a challenging Challenge Cup encounter. The match opened with an early try from Davids, converted by Francis, giving the Lions a 7-0 lead. However, Hearle responded for the Red Bulls with a try shortly after, followed by a conversion from Chamberlain, to take the home side ahead. Both teams faced yellow cards, impacting their momentum, particularly with Davids and Fletcher temporarily sidelined. McCallum's late try for Newcastle, converted by Connon, sealed the win despite a late surge from the Lions. Francis managed to score a penalty for the Lions, but it was not enough to change the outcome. The match showcased strong defensive efforts and resilience from both sides in difficult weather conditions.

Weather

Temperature: 9.4°C (Feels like 2.4°C) Condition: Windy Wind: 27.0 km/h, gusting to 55.9 km/h Humidity: 77% Cloud Cover: 98%

Highlights

Events

Kickoff
3'

Try

Angelo Davids · Lions

0 - 5
3'

Conversion

Sam Francis · Lions

0 - 7
4'

Substitution

Jamie Hodgson on for Oscar Usher · Newcastle
12'

Try

Alex Hearle · Newcastle

5 - 7
13'

Conversion

Boeta Chamberlain · Newcastle

7 - 7
19'

Penalty

Sam Francis · Lions

7 - 10
30'

Yellow Card

Angelo Davids · Lions
30'

Substitution

Harrison Obatoyinbo on for Christian Wade · Newcastle
30'

Substitution

Jarod Cairns on for Sibabalo Qoma · Lions
38'

Yellow Card

Ollie Fletcher · Newcastle
40'

Substitution

Sibabalo Qoma on for Jarod Cairns · Lions
40'

Substitution

James Elliott on for Sam Stuart · Newcastle
Halftime 7 - 10
Second Half
40'

Yellow Card Complete

Angelo Davids · Lions
48'

Yellow Card Complete

Ollie Fletcher · Newcastle
53'

Substitution

Murray McCallum on for Richard Palframan · Newcastle
53'

Substitution

George McGuigan on for Ollie Fletcher · Newcastle
53'

Substitution

Mike Rewcastle on for Adam Brocklebank · Newcastle
53'

Substitution

PJ Botha on for Morne Brandon · Lions
55'

Substitution

Conraad van Vuuren on for RF Schoeman · Lions
58'

Substitution

Lubabalo Dobela on for Sam Francis · Lions
58'

Substitution

Brett Connon on for Ethan Grayson · Newcastle
64'

Substitution

Leon Lyons on for Eddie Davids · Lions
64'

Substitution

Jarod Cairns on for WJ Steenkamp · Lions
66'

Substitution

Rynhardt Jonker on for Manuel Rass · Lions
74'

Substitution

Ruan Delport on for Ruben Schoeman · Lions
80'

Try

Murray McCallum · Newcastle

12 - 10
81'

Conversion

Brett Connon · Newcastle

14 - 10
Fulltime 14 - 10

Player ratings

Newcastle

15 Boeta Chamberlain 7.6
14 Christian Wade 6.2
13 Alex Hearle 7.5
12 Cammy Hutchison 7.6
11 Elliott Obatoyinbo 6.5
10 Ethan Grayson 6.2
9 Sam Stuart 6.5
1 Adam Brocklebank 6.8
2 Ollie Fletcher 7.6
3 Richard Palframan 6.7
4 Oscar Usher –
5 Finn Baker 6.6
6 Tom Gordon 6.9
7 Tom Christie 8.3
8 Ollie Leatherbarrow 9.6
16 George McGuigan 6.8
17 Mike Rewcastle 6.4
18 Murray McCallum 6.2
19 Jamie Hodgson 6.3
20 Sebastian de Chaves –
21 James Elliott 6.3
22 Brett Connon 6.4
23 Harrison Obatoyinbo 6.7

Lions

15 Gianni Lombard 5.7
14 Rabz Maxwane 5.8
13 Manuel Rass 6.1
12 Richard Kriel 6.9
11 Angelo Davids 5.7
10 Sam Francis 5.7
9 Nico Steyn 6.1
1 Eddie Davids 6.6
2 Morne Brandon 6.7
3 RF Schoeman 7.5
4 Dylan Sjoblom 6.6
5 Ruben Schoeman 7.0
6 Renzo Du Plessis 8.3
7 Sibabalo Qoma 7.1
8 WJ Steenkamp 6.0
16 PJ Botha 6.7
17 Leon Lyons 6.2
18 Conraad van Vuuren 6.1
19 Ruan Delport –
20 Jarod Cairns 7.2
21 Haashim Pead –
22 Lubabalo Dobela 5.8
23 Rynhardt Jonker 5.9