Ulster held out against a late comeback attempt from the Lions to claim a thrilling victory in a 76-point Vodacom United Rugby Championship match in Johannesburg on Saturday afternoon. URC
The visitors from Ireland won 39-37 after taking a seemingly insurmountable 36-18 lead in the second half.
The Lions attempted a brave comeback, scoring three spectacular tries in the final 20 minutes, but ultimately left too much to do in the closing stages. The hosts did have a late chance to score when they were awarded a penalty inside their own half, but replacement flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse failed to find touch.
The match was won in the closing stages of the first half and opening 13 minutes of the second half, when Ulster scored 28 points. After taking an 18-10 lead thanks to Francke Horn and Emmanuel Tshituka’s tries, the Lions lost all semblance of defensive structure when Henco van Wyk was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-down.