Captain Francke Horn and flanker Ruan Venter each scored a brace of tries as the Lions secured a place in the EPCR Challenge Cup playoffs with a comprehensive win against Dragons at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The hosts dominated the contest from the first whistle and finished up with nine tries, complemented by 11 points from the boot of flyhalf Sam Francis, in a 60-10 victory over the touring Welsh side.
Horn and Venter were joined on the Lions’ try-scorers list by Francis, speedster Tapiwa Mafura, hooker Jaco Visagie, outside centre Manuel Rass and replacement No 10 Gianni Lombard, the latter adding two conversions late in the fourth quarter.
For Dragons, prop Paula Latu notched a second-half try while flyhalf Will Reed scored five points from the tee.
The Lions return to Vodacom United Rugby Championship action next when they host the Vodacom Bulls at Ellis Park, while the Dragons face Munster at Rodney Parade on Saturday. The Challenge Cup round of 16 is scheduled for the weekend of 4 April.
