Lions lose at Glasgow and bonus point slips away too
Having come back from 19–3 to lead 20–19, the Lions went down 29–20 at Glasgow. A late try and a last penalty left them with no points in the URC.
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The Lions thought they had Glasgow won. Trailing 19–3 at half-time, the South Africans moved ahead 20–19 with ten minutes remaining at Scotstoun on Friday 30 October. They still went down 29–20 in the United Rugby Championship (URC), without even taking home the defensive bonus point that still looked within reach in the closing seconds.
Three tries to turn the game around
The first half had largely gone the Warriors' way. Fergus Watson, Dan Lancaster and then Jack Singleton scored all three Scottish tries before the break. George Horne converted the first two, while the Lions' only reply was a penalty from Chris Smith.
After the restart, the visitors finally brought their pressure to bear near the line. Morne van den Berg scored from close range, with Boeta Chamberlain converting to make it 19–10. The Lions then profited from an interception by Kelly Mpeku, who passed to Siba Mahashe for a second try in the corner.
The fightback was completed by another set-piece score: after a lineout and a maul, Morne Brandon crossed the line. Despite two missed conversions, the Lions had scored seventeen unanswered points and taken the lead, 20–19.
Last penalty costs them the bonus point as well
Glasgow, however, won back the ball and took control of the closing stages. A pass from Stafford McDowall opened up space for Ollie Smith, who scored the fourth Scottish try four minutes from time. Horne's conversion made it 26–20.
At that point the Lions could still leave with a point: in the URC, a defeat by seven points or fewer earns a defensive bonus point. But a last penalty from Horne stretched the gap to nine points. The final score of 29–20 left the South Africans with no reward in the standings.
The contrast sums up their night: able to wipe out a sixteen-point deficit and lead in the final quarter of an hour, they let Glasgow finish the job. The Warriors, for their part, pick up the attacking bonus point for their four tries.