Brave Lions crash out of Challenge Cup after rain-soaked draw with Perpignan

The Lions have been eliminated from the Challenge Cup following an immense battle in the rain with Perpignan. The match ended 20-20, but the French side progressed to the Round of 16 by virtue of a superior points difference across the pool stages.

The howling wind and driving rain dictated a tactical encounter, and fly-half Chris Smith was excellent in his game management. The Lions' forwards also rose to the occasion, dominating the set-piece and bossing the scrums throughout the contest.

The home team had the Lions "under the pump" during the opening quarter. The visitors barely touched the ball and would have been satisfied to trail only 3-0 after an early penalty by fly-half Antoine Aucagne. The conditions turned the first half into a literal arm-wrestle, which favoured the growing Lions ascendancy in the scrums. When hooker Morne Brandon drove towards the line and was illegally halted, the referee awarded the visitors a penalty try. Smith followed this up shortly after with a superb penalty strike from beyond 50 metres.

The Lions' 10-3 lead was erased when Perpignan’s Argentine No. 8, Joaquín Oviedo, wrestled through a succession of tackles to score. That leveled the match at 10-10, which remained the score at the interval as the rain continued to pelt down.

Conditions worsened in the second half. Sweeping rain blew across the pitch, making it difficult for either side to build sustained phases. One of the highlights of the third quarter came from Lions scrum-half Hasseim Pead; making his first start for the franchise, he broke from inside his own 22 and was only halted 60 metres downfield.

The Lions remained the stronger side in the second half thanks to their ultra-physical pack. This supremacy earned a penalty which Smith nudged over to make it 13-10 with 25 minutes to play. The set scrums increasingly became an avenue for the Lions to win penalties. In the 62nd minute, the pack scrummed their opposition into submission, and the resulting penalty was kicked to the corner. The forwards backed themselves, propelling replacement hooker PJ Botha over the line.

Smith’s conversion made it 20-10, and in such oppressive conditions, it felt like a seismic scoreline. However, the home side fought back, and it was Fijian winger Freddy Duguivalu who barged over after a series of relentless phases. The conversion narrowed the gap to 20-17 with ten minutes remaining, guaranteeing a grandstand finish.

Aucagne nailed a pressure penalty to equalise at 20-20 with eight minutes to play. The intriguing contest reached a climax when the Lions won a penalty inside their own half. With time up on the clock and the range too far for a direct shot at goal, Smith kicked to the corner. The Lions threw everything into one final assault, but eventually conceded a turnover penalty to end the game —and their European campaign — at 20-20.

Scorers

Perpignan — Penaltes: Antoine Aucagne. (2). Tries: Joaquin Oviedo, Freddy Duguivalu. Conversions: Aucagne (2)

Lions — Penalty try. PJ Botha. Penalties: Chris Smith (2). Conversion: Smith.