Lions 26 - 7 Connacht

Full time

26 Apr 2025

Stage: Regular Season Round 16

Emirates Airline Park

The Lions delivered a commanding performance against Connacht Rugby, winning 26-7 at Emirates Airline Park. Renzo Du Plessis opened the scoring with a try in the 13th minute, followed by three penalties from Kade Wolhuter, extending their lead to 14-0 by halftime. Despite a yellow card for Du Plessis early in the second half, the Lions maintained their dominance and JC Pretorius added another try in the 69th minute. Connacht managed to score their only try through Eoin de Buitlear, who also converted, bringing the score to 21-7. Edwill van der Merwe sealed the game with a late try, followed by a conversion from Lubabalo Dobela. The Lions showcased their attacking prowess and strong defense throughout the match. Overall, it was a decisive victory that highlighted the Lions' capabilities in the URC.

Broadcasters

IE
GB
IE TG4

Where to watch in: Ireland, United Kingdom

Weather

Temperature: 19.7°C (Feels like 20.6°C) Condition: PartlyCloudy Wind: 4.9 km/h, gusting to 16.0 km/h Humidity: 40% Cloud Cover: 43%

Highlights

Events

Kickoff
13'

Try

Renzo Du Plessis · Lions

5 - 0
14'

Substitution

Paul Boyle on for Sean Jansen · Connacht
18'

Penalty

Kade Wolhuter · Lions

8 - 0
36'

Penalty

Kade Wolhuter · Lions

11 - 0
40'

Substitution

Santiago Cordero on for Piers O'Conor · Connacht
Halftime 11 - 0
Second Half
42'

Penalty

Kade Wolhuter · Lions

14 - 0
45'

Substitution

Hugh Gavin on for Jack Carty · Connacht
49'

Yellow Card

Renzo Du Plessis · Lions
52'

Substitution

Oisin Dowling on for Joe Joyce · Connacht
52'

Substitution

Sam Illo on for Jack Aungier · Connacht
55'

Substitution

Nico Steyn on for Morne van den Berg · Lions
59'

Yellow Card Complete

Renzo Du Plessis · Lions
60'

Substitution

Eoin de Buitlear on for Dylan Tierney-Martin · Connacht
60'

Substitution

Jordan Duggan on for Peter Dooley · Connacht
62'

Substitution

Rynhardt Jonker on for Henco van Wyk · Lions
65'

Substitution

Colm Reilly on for Cathal Forde · Connacht
66'

Substitution

RF Schoeman on for Asenathi Ntlabakanye · Lions
66'

Substitution

PJ Botha on for Jaco Visagie · Lions
66'

Substitution

SJ Kotze on for Morgan Naude · Lions
69'

Try

JC Pretorius · Lions

19 - 0
70'

Substitution

Cathal Forde on for Colm Reilly · Connacht
71'

Substitution

Darrien-Lane Landsberg on for Ruan Delport · Lions
71'

Substitution

Lubabalo Dobela on for Kade Wolhuter · Lions
73'

Try

Eoin de Buitlear · Connacht

19 - 7
73'

Conversion

David Hawkshaw · Connacht

19 - 2
75'

Missed Drop Goal

Quan Horn · Lions
77'

Substitution

Izan Esterhuizen on for Ruben Schoeman · Lions
82'

Try

Edwill van der Merwe · Lions

24 - 7
83'

Conversion

Lubabalo Dobela · Lions

26 - 7
Fulltime 26 - 7

Player ratings

Lions

15 Quan Horn 6.6
14 Richard Kriel 8.4
13 Henco van Wyk 6.4
12 Bronson Mills 7.0
11 Edwill van der Merwe 9.3
10 Kade Wolhuter 6.7
9 Morne van den Berg 6.6
1 Morgan Naude 8.4
2 Jaco Visagie 6.7
3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye 6.6
4 Ruben Schoeman 6.5
5 Ruan Delport 7.5
6 JC Pretorius 7.9
7 Renzo Du Plessis 6.8
8 Jarod Cairns 8.3
16 PJ Botha 6.3
17 SJ Kotze 6.2
18 RF Schoeman 6.5
19 Darrien-Lane Landsberg –
20 Izan Esterhuizen –
21 Nico Steyn 6.5
22 Lubabalo Dobela –
23 Rynhardt Jonker 6.7

Connacht

15 Piers O'Conor 5.8
14 Shayne Bolton 4.7
13 David Hawkshaw 6.0
12 Cathal Forde 6.8
11 Shane Jennings 6.3
10 Jack Carty 5.9
9 Matthew Devine 7.0
1 Peter Dooley 6.1
2 Dylan Tierney-Martin 6.2
3 Jack Aungier 4.4
4 Josh Murphy 6.5
5 Joe Joyce 5.8
6 Cian Prendergast 6.8
7 Conor Oliver 6.9
8 Sean Jansen 6.0
16 Eoin de Buitlear 6.7
17 Jordan Duggan 5.8
18 Sam Illo 5.6
19 Oisin Dowling 6.0
20 Paul Boyle 6.8
21 Colm Reilly –
22 Hugh Gavin 6.5
23 Santiago Cordero 6.2