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WATCH: Lions winger Edwill van der Merwe channels his inner Gandalf to make a try saving tackle

July 7, 2023 /

Lions wing Edwill van der Merwe brilliantly denied Stade Francais a try in his side’s Challenge Cup triumph at Ellis Park on Friday evening.

The Lions claimed a 30-12 victory as they continued their unbeaten run in the Challenge Cup, thanks mainly to the efforts of their two wings – Van der Merwe and Quan Horn.

‘You shall not pass!’

With the Lions leading 20-0 after 38 minutes, Stade Francais were looking to make their mark on the scoreboard before half-time. 

The French outfit set up a rolling maul before breaking away and using heavy ball carriers to hammer at the Lions’ line. This created space on the short side and centre Theo Dachary identified the opportunity before quickly shifting the ball away to Ferdinand Dreno with some neat hands.

Dreno was just six metres out from the try-line and looked to have an easy run-in for the score when Van der Merwe shot up on his inside.

However, the Lions speedster made a miraculous recovery as he grappled with Dreno and pulled him away from the try-line and into touch. Incredible strength from the flyer.

Although Stade Francais did manage to cross the whitewash on the stroke of half-time, the efforts of Van der Merwe were undoubtedly a confidence boost for the hosts before the interval. 

Horn in the side of the Stade Francais

While Van der Merwe’s tackle was the defensive highlight of the first half, his fellow wing Horn produced the attacking highlights, scoring twice as the Johannesburg outfit racked up a healthy lead.

The 21-year-old was on the end of a superb skip pass from fly-half Jordan Hendrikse and brushed off the tackle attempt of Nadir Megdoud to score his side’s first try in the 15th minute.

He was put into space by Marius Louw, who took out two Stade Francais defenders and raced away, stepping past the half-hearted cover tackle attempt from Leo Barre to score his second before the half-hour mark.

Stade Francais threaten a comeback but fall short

James Hall’s try just before half-time showed signs that Stade Francais weren’t dead and buried at the break. 

However, Andries Coetzee’s score before the hour mark reinstated the Lions’ 20-point lead.

Barre’s try with 11 minutes left to play may have given his side the slightest hope of a comeback, or at least a losing bonus point, but the Lions’ pack would seal the bonus-point victory with five minutes to play when Ruan Smith powered over from close range.

The Challenge Cup goes on a break until January when the Lions will make the trip to Paris to face Stade Francais before heading to Newport to take on the Dragons.

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