Smith inspires Lions to first win over Leinster - TimesLIVE

Flyhalf Chris Smith booted the Lions to a 27-19 victory over defending champions Leinster in their URC opener at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon.

He slotted two penalties and three conversions, but it was his late cross kick to unmarked right wing Kelly Mpeka, who was able to gallop over to dot down, that ultimately sealed the triumph in what was largely a scrappy contest.

Soft tries, handling errors, high-ball hiccoughs and misjudged kicks plagued both sides, but under-strength Leinster will be rueing their lack of experience behind the pack.

Only three players who competed in the final against the Bulls turned out in Johannesburg — prop Alex Usanov and right wing Tommy O’Brien started while Harry Byrne came off the bench to score his team’s final try long after the hooter.

Midway through the second half, with the Dublin-based side leading 19-17 but under pressure in their 22m area, they survived two charge-downs in trying to find touch.

That set the tone for the rest of the match and Leinster were unable to shift that momentum, earning only moments of reprieve.

Leinster enjoyed the territorial advantage and they had nearly 60% of possession, but they were unable to convert when they had the home team under the whip.

They had 11 entries into the 22m, compared to the Lions’ seven, but they weren’t able to take advantage with the same amount of penetration. The Lions were credited with 178 tackles to Leinster’s 100.

The decision for Smith to kick the penalties clearly proved critical.

Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen admitted his defence had failed at times in the first half. “We didn’t stop momentum, then they get momentum against you and they’re world class.”

Leinster scrumhalf scored a hattrick of tries in the first half, being in support to take the ball after breaks by his teammates.

“Some harsh words at halftime and I think the guys responded well,” said Van Rooyen. “Second half we stopped momentum a lot earlier and a lot better and that also allowed us to apply pressure a little bit differently.”

Left wing Erich Cronje, who scored two tries, and Mpeku both hassled the Leinster defence and centre Henco van Wyk executed a great break and pulled off a crucial try-saving tackle.

This was the first time the Lions had beaten the Dublin outfit in five outings, but Leinster coach Leo Cullen wasn’t overly fussed by the performance of his squad, which included six academy players.

“We were pretty pleased with lots of things in the first half in particular, maybe lost our way a little bit in the second half,” he said, adding he was impressed with the character shown to score the late try that earned them two bonus points.

He recalled last season’s opener where a slightly more experienced Leinster was walloped 35-0 by the Stormers.

“In round one with a large number of young players, we’ll take it and move onto the next challenge.”

The Lions host the Ospreys next Saturday while Leinster travel to Durban to face the Sharks.

Tries: Erich Cronje (2), Kelly Mpeku. Conversions: Chris Smith (3) Penalties: Smith (2)

Tries: Fintan Gunne (3), Stephen Smyth Conversions: Caspar Gabriel (2), Harry Byrne.