Junior Springbok powerhouse Batho Hlekani enjoyed a dream debut for the Lions after his move from the Sharks, scoring in the seventh minute of the 42–33 win over Lyon in the EPCR Challenge Cup clash at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon, after being drafted in as a late replacement for Siba Qoma.
The 20-year-old was on hand to scoop up the loose ball and canter over the try line after great build-up play by the Lions’ backs in a free-flowing display by the home team. Fly-half Chris Smith added the extra two points. Lyon pounced on a loose Bronson Mills pass close to their try line in the 14th minute to draw level.
Richard Kriel then scored the second for the Lions in the far right corner in the 18th minute after skipper Francke Horn’s well-timed pass over the top found the wing in acres of space. The Lions No 8 was leading from the front, solid in the set piece and broken play. The mercurial Kriel then set up the home team’s third try, slicing through the defensive line and feeding full-back Quan Horn on the switch in the 24th minute. The home side led 21–7 after 25 minutes of play, with Smith flawless off the kicking tee.
Lyon prop Hamza Kaabeche was then shown yellow for a dangerous tackle in the 29th minute. As expected, the set-piece was a major battle area, with Lions replacement prop Conraad van Vuuren lucky not to concede early penalties. But the French side were let down by mistakes in possession that blunted their attacks and kept the Lions on the front foot.
7’ | Try on debut for Batho Hlekani!
Lions 7 – 0 Lyon#ChallengeCupRugby | #ForOurCity | #LIOvLYO#LionsPride pic.twitter.com/D9sibmoX1m— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) January 10, 2026
Kriel seemed to be at the heart of all the Lions’ attacking plays as they stretched the Lyon defence with five minutes left in the half. Smith and scrum-half Morne van den Berg were also expertly pulling strings in the backline and probing for space behind the Lyon lines. Lyon were also dealt a blow when Josiah Maraku was stretchered off the field with a head injury.
Powerful Lions loose forward Renzo du Plessis barged over the whitewash in the 37th minute to bag the bonus point for the home team, Hlekani once again strong in the carry during the build-up phases. He continued to have a barnstorming game—powerful in the carry, strong in the tackle and fierce in contesting the rucks and disrupting opposition momentum.
But Lyon had the final say of the half when full-back Alexandre Tchaptchet scored their second try. The Lions led 28–14 at the break.
The Lions started the second half with a new front row, and the replacement hooker was straight into the action with a line-busting run. But it was Lyon who struck first, via No 9 Esteban Gonzalez. The visitors’ passes were beginning to stick and the anxiety seemed apparent among the home fans with the score at 28–19.
𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗙-𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 | Lions 28 – 14 Lyon#ChallengeCupRugby | #ForOurCity | #LIOvLYO#LionsPride pic.twitter.com/muGgl9pOn5
— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) January 10, 2026
Their hopes of building immediate momentum were snuffed out when a Van den Berg chip over the top was pounced on by Lions winger Angelo Davids in the 46th minute. The new-look Lions front row transformed their scrum fortunes, and their performance will no doubt please coach Ivan van Rooyen.
The visitors did manage to score off a line-out maul in the 54th minute, however, with hooker Mathis Sarragallet dotting down (35–26) to earn a bonus point for his team. Hlekani’s Junior Bok teammate Haashim Pead was introduced in the scrum-half jersey with less than 20 minutes to go. The Lions showed good game management and were resolute in defence in the closing stages of the match with nine points between the teams and Lyon doing most of the running.
The visitors pulled within three points after an Alfred Parisien try under the posts with just over five minutes left, setting up a nail-biting finish. The Lions went for touch after winning a penalty in the 77th minute and for the tap in the last minute that Bronson Mills did well to power over the line and seal the thrilling contest.
𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 | Lions 42 – 33 Lyon
Job done. Points in the bag. Loving the support Joburg… Thank you.#ChallengeCupRugby | #ForOurCity | #LIOvLYO#LionsPride pic.twitter.com/9VkHf8wRQE
— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) January 10, 2026
Hlekani was named Man of the Match for his outstanding display that kept his team alive in the competition with their first win.
Points-scorers
Lions 42 (28)
Tries: Hlekani, Kriel, Quan Horn, Du Plessis, Davids, Brandon. Conversions: Smith (6).
Lyon 33 (14)
Tries: Mignot, Tchaptchet, Gonzalez, Sarragallet, Parisien. Conversions: Jackson (4).
