Lions player ratings vs Leinster | URC 2026/27

Lions player ratings: The Lions won’t care that Leinster enjoyed plenty of possession at Ellis Park because Ivan van Rooyen’s side were far more ruthless when it mattered.

While the visitors played with ambition and frequently moved the ball through the hands, the Lions punished errors, dominated key scrum exchanges and found a way to win despite seeing less of the ball. Erich Cronje was their chief tormentor out wide, while Sebastian Lombard, Siba Mahashe and the pack laid the physical foundations for an opening-round URC victory in Johannesburg.

15. Boeta Chamberlain – 7
A composed display from the back. Kicked well from hand throughout and produced several important clearances under pressure. His break and assist helped create Cronje’s second try, while he also sliced through the defence himself early in the second half.

14. Kelly Mpeku – 7.5
Frequently looked threatening whenever given space. Beat Lawlor far too easily with one surging run in the first half and consistently asked questions of the Leinster edge defence. One of the Lions’ brighter backs.

13. Henco van Wyk – 6.5
A strange afternoon. Forced off after barely a minute before returning later in the half. Never really got the chance to impose himself as he normally would but still battled away gamely after coming back, beating a handful of Irish defenders in the process. A couple of penalties against his name, although one was a harsh deliberate knock-on call.

12. Richard Kriel – 6
Didn’t have a huge influence and spilled the ball on 37 minutes during one attacking opportunity. Defensively sound enough without ever becoming a central figure.

11. Erich Cronje – 8.5
Moneyball brilliance. A constant menace whenever he touched the ball. Showed sharp lines to score twice in the opening half and regularly exposed Leinster’s defensive weaknesses. Even late in the game he remained one of the Lions’ most threatening runners.

10. Chris Smith – 7.5
Excellent kicking display. Controlled territory impressively, landed important goals and almost produced a remarkable try assist with a clever kick for Cronje. There were perhaps a few too many turnovers in open play, but his boot was a major factor in the result.

9. Nico Steyn – 7
His kicking game was also good throughout and he played an important role in the opening Cronje try. Kept the Lions moving despite often seeing less possession than Leinster.

1. Boan Venter – 7
Part of a front row that increasingly got on top at scrum time. Helped lay the platform for the Lions’ second-half control.

2. PJ Botha – 6.5
Solid without being spectacular. Did his core jobs effectively before making way shortly after half-time.

3. Sebastian Lombard – 8
A huge influence at the scrum. Continuously put pressure on Usanov and was central to the set-piece dominance that ultimately undermined Leinster’s challenge.

4. Etienne Oosthuizen – 7.5
A colossal defensive effort in the first half. Led the Lions’ defensive work and repeatedly halted Leinster attacks despite the volume of possession coming his way.

5. Ruan Delport – 6.5
Worked hard in the engine room and got through plenty of unseen graft. A steady performance.

6. Siba Mahashe – 8
Everywhere. The one Lions forward who consistently took the fight physically to the Leinster pack. Carried aggressively and brought real edge to the contest.

7. Batho Hlekani – 6
A messy, weird outing. Leinster fought the giant flanker hand-to-hand all afternoon, and he conceded a couple of avoidable penalties, including a high tackle on Gabriel. There were flashes of his abundant talent, not least being the Lions’ most frequent ball-carrier, but Leinster limited his impact with ball in hand.

8. Francke Horne (c) – 7
A relatively quiet afternoon in the loose for the captain aside from one excellent turnover. Led by example defensively and did the fundamentals well, including an excellent shift at lineout time on both sides of the ball.

Replacements – 6.5
Morne Brandon, SJ Kotze, RF Schoeman, Hyron Andrews, Siba Qoma, JC Pretorius, Zian Cilliers and Ethan Adams all contributed to a bench effort that helped maintain the Lions’ physical edge. The replacement front row in particular ensured the scrum dominance continued when Leinster looked for a way back into the contest.