Dobela try after hooter clinches thrilling win for the Lions

The Emirates Lions have experienced a tortured final phase of their Vodacom United Rugby Championship season but they were at least able to end on a positive note with a thrilling last gasp 29-28 win over the Ospreys at Emirates Airlines Park on Saturday.

In a game that was played with surprisingly high passion and quality from both sides giving that there was nothing in terms of playoff positions to play for either team, the teams took turns to take the lead throughout the match and continued to do so into the final 10 minutes.

It's not over until the final whistle 😤@LionsRugbyCo get the win on the final play of the game 💪@Vodacom #URC | #LIOvOSP pic.twitter.com/r01jfkJjwh

— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) May 17, 2025

It looked like the Lions, who had taken the lead through a try from muscular centre Henco van Wyk with 10 minutes to go, had lost the game when Ospreys reserve hooker Sam Parry drove over for a try less than two and a half minutes from fulltime. However, the Lions showed how much they wanted the win by fighting back and with the aid of a few penalties they set up the final play near the Ospreys line with the visitors leading 28-24.

Flyhalf Lubabalo Dobela was the man who received the ball as it was swung towards the right touchline and he dived over in spectacular fashion, with hardly any centimetres to spare, in the corner. The conversion didn’t matter as the Lions were ahead by one point and the home players and their supporters celebrated with the unbridled joy that the famous stadium in Johannesburg has seen too little of when it comes to matches below international level in recent years.

These Lions don’t know when they’re beaten 😤

Fantastic scenes at Ellis Park as Lubabalo Dobela scores in the corner to give @LionsRugbyCo the win 🎉@Vodacom #URC | #LIOvOSP pic.twitter.com/HmulhmMNsZ

— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) May 17, 2025

In many ways it was a performance typical of the Lions season, as it really shouldn’t have come down to the tight finish that it did, and had they taken the scoring opportunities they fluffed in the first half they should have been further than 12-7 at halftime.

They certainly had the better of the early stages of this final game of the season for both teams, but it was also clear that the Ospreys had come to play. The Lions got the scoreboard rolling in the ninth minute as none other than Edwill van der Merwe, the Springbok wing heading to the Sharks in the offseason, jetted over in the left corner after Dobela had put in a good pass to fullback Quan Horn who drew the defenders before putting his teammate over for the score.

It wasn’t converted by Dobela so when the Ospreys struck back with a try to blindside flank Will Griffiths the Dan Edwards conversion put them into a 7-5 lead. The Lions regained the lead in the 31st minute, with man of the match JC Pretorius receiving the ball out wide from hooker and captain Jaco Visagie after some good work from Van der Merwe joining the line and then passing back to Visagie to complete the first of two tries.

The Lions were a lot more accurate at the breakdowns in this game than they were against the Scarlets and Pretorius was their stand out player as they went to the break five points ahead.

The Ospreys started the second half strongly and were the better team for most of the second 40 minutes, and it wasn’t unexpected when their lock James Ratti drove over for a try that didn’t look like it had been dotted down on the television evidence and it was questioned by the TMO but full marks to the on field referee for backing himself and sticking with what he had seen on the field. Anyway it looked as though the Ospreys had dotted down earlier in the buildup but the decision was taken to play on until the attack was concluded.

That put the Ospreys back into a 14-12 lead but this time the Lions wasted no time in regaining the advantage as two minutes after that 52nd minute score they forced a penalty at the restart that set up the attacking lineout from which they drove over the line with consummate ease for try No 3 and the second dot down for Visagie.

Then with 17 minutes to go fullback Jack Walsh ran a good line in the Lions’ red zone to score the visiting team’s third try to get them into a 21-17 lead. With 10 minutes to go a good switch near the Ospreys line saw Van Wyk run onto the ball and he had too much strength and momentum for the Ospreys to keep him out.

But the Welsh side showed how much they wanted to win even though the prize for the winner of this game was just an 11th placed finish on the log and they would have felt they had achieved that mission when a few minutes of unrelenting pressure on a Lions side that defended superbly near their line eventually saw Parry drive over for the score and a 28-24 lead.

The Lions didn’t have much time but they showed what might have been this season had they managed it better by pressing for the win and getting home after the hooter had sounded. On balance the Lions, who scored five tries to four, deserved to win but the Ospreys played a full part in a thrilling game to end the season.

Scores

EMIRATES LIONS 29 - Tries: Edwill van der Merwe, Jacko Visagie 2, Henco van Wyk and Lubabalo Dobela; Conversions: Lubabalo Dobela 2.

OSPREYS 28 - Tries: Will Griffiths, James Ratti, Jack Walsh and Sam Parry; Conversions: Dan Edwards 4.