The Lions' promising first-half display unravelled after the break as Edinburgh scored four second-half tries to secure a 36-10 URC victory in wet conditions at Hive Stadium.

Orlando Pirates delivered a masterclass at the Orlando Amstel Arena, dismantling Namibian champions African Stars 3-0 on the night to seal a commanding 4-0 aggregate triumph.

The Lions were unable to trouble in-form United Rugby Championship (URC) table toppers Edinburgh, as the hosts overran the visitors five tries to one to clinch a comfortable 31-10 win at the Hive Stadium in Scotland on Friday night. The game was played in difficult conditions, with rain falling for most of the match, but the Lions just didn’t show nearly enough on attack, compared to the hosts who chose to run the ball at will, and it eventually paid off as they powered away in the second half. It was a big arm wrestle in the first half, and although Edinburgh had edged the play, the Lions should have gone into halftime ahead, but instead they trailed 5-3 and the hosts then stepped it up in the second half and the visitors couldn’t respond. But the result also has to be put in perspective, with the Lions still dealing with the loss of teammate Hyron Andrews, just a week ago in France, and many of their players will still be in a dark place, and will likely struggle until they finally get home in just over a week, after their next game against Glasgow Warriors next Friday. Scrappy start It was a very scrappy opening 15 minutes between the two teams, with them struggling to get to grips with the difficult weather conditions. But they were showing different game plans, with the Lions going to the boot often, while Edinburgh were happy to have a crack, and that saw them open the scoring in the 20th minute. It was a good attack in the Lions half that saw the ball go down the line, where a superb no look pass from eighthman Magnus Bradbury put outside centre Matt Currie away down the line, with him passing to scrumhalf Hector Patterson inside him, and he returned the ball to Currie to run in and score. The Lions finally got on the board in the 33rd minute after their best spell of the game up to that point, earning a penalty in the hosts 22m which flyhalf Chris Smith popped over. Six minutes later the Lions made a big mistake, after a hack ahead from deep in their own half and great chase, they won a penalty deep in the Edinburgh 22m dead in front of the posts. Although their scrum had been firing, with them winning a tighthead earlier, they should have gone for posts to take the lead on halftime, instead they chose to scrum, were unable to get dominance, attacked off the back and knocked on, which gave Edinburgh a scrum that they secured and cleared to lead at the break. Second half Not taking their points came back to bite the Lions at the start of the second half, with Edinburgh on the front foot immediately and scoring through inside centre Mosese Tuipulotu, only for it to be chalked off after the TMO picked up a knock on in the build-up. But in the 47th minute Tuipulotu was not to be denied after Edinburgh mauled from a lineout, with it stopped, but the loose ball was then passed to the centre to smash his way over for the converted score and a 12-3 lead. That became 19-3 four minutes later, as Edinburgh attacked from a scrum just outside their own 22m, with the ball spread wide and a narrow Lions defensive line was exposed as wing Kelly Mpeku came in leaving space out wide on the overlap leading to a break, with the ball going through the hands and Patterson finished off a wonderful score. In the 57th minute the Lions hit back to give themselves a chance, despite losing another lineout on the Edinburgh 5m, a top tackle and counter ruck got the ball back, and after basing away on the line a gap finally opened with Smith putting in flank Batho Hlekani for the converted score. But that was as good as it got for the visitors, as Edinburgh ran away with it in the last 20 minutes, with two more tries, as a quick tap from the brilliant Patterson saw him sprint away to score his second, followed by wing Geordie Gwynn going over in the corner after working space out wide, to seal an impressive win. Scorers Edinburgh: Tries – Matt Currie, Mosese Tuipulotu, Hector Patterson (2) Geordie Gwynn; Conversions – James Grayson (3) Lions: Try – Batho Hlekani; Conversion – Chris Smith; Penalty – Smith

Wiliete SC have sent shockwaves through African football by knocking holders Mamelodi Sundowns out of the CAF Champions League in the second leg of the second preliminary round. The two teams played out a 1-1 draw at Loftus Versfeld on Friday night, with the Angolan side booking their place in the group stage of Africa’s premier club competition on the away goals rule after the first leg ended goalless. Remarkably, this is the first time since 2015 that the Brazilians have failed to qualify for the group stage of the competition. On that occasion, they were sent packing by DR Congo’s TP Mazembe at the same stage of the qualifying rounds. The game got off to a frantic pace with Thabang Matuludi rising highest to meet Aubrey Madiba’s corner, but his header sailed over the bar as Sundowns applied pressure five minutes into the game. It took just 11 minutes for Sundowns to break the deadlock through Tashreeq Matthews’ deflected effort. The attacker picked up the ball outside the box before unleashing a left-footed shot that took a deflection off a Wiliete defender and found the back of the net. Despite Sundowns’ early dominance, Wiliete nearly drew level in the 26th minute when Gilberto met a cross with a header, only for Williams to produce a brilliant save to preserve his side’s lead. Sundowns leave door open for Wiliete Sundowns went into the break with a slender advantage, leaving the door open for Wiliete, who continued to look dangerous on the counter-attack. A careless pass from Cassius Mailula in the middle of the park presented Wiliete striker Mabululu with a golden opportunity. The experienced forward made no mistake, slotting the ball past Williams to restore parity just four minutes into the second half in Tshwane. Brayan León thought he had restored Sundowns’ lead five minutes later, but the referee ruled out the goal for a foul in the build-up. Tension spill over into the stands With the score locked at 1-1 on the hour mark, Sundowns were staring at the very real prospect of crashing out of the competition at the first hurdle. Since lifting the trophy in 2016, the Tshwane giants had consistently qualified for the group stage, making this potential early exit all the more remarkable. Tension also spilled over into the stands, with sections of the home support demanding greater urgency from their players. Sundowns subsequently created a flurry of chances, but Marcelo Allende, León and Matthews all failed to make their opportunities count. Miguel Cardoso turned to his bench in the 62nd minute, introducing Siyanda Ndlovu for the ineffective Mailula in a bid to inject fresh energy into the attack. Seven minutes later, Antonio van Wyk and Thapelo Morena were brought on for Modiba and Matuludi, respectively. León came agonisingly close to putting Sundowns back in front in the 80th minute, but his header from a Nuno Santos cross failed to find the target. With 10 minutes remaining, Cardoso introduced Themba Zwane and Iqraam Rayners as Sundowns threw everything forward in search of a winner. Despite the hosts’ late onslaught, Wiliete stood firm to secure a famous result and eliminate the defending champions in front of their own supporters. As the final whistle blew, stunned Sundowns fans were left to come to terms with a shock exit, while the Angolan outfit celebrated a memorable night in their continental campaign.

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has flown to Amsterdam to meet his girlfriend, Rachel John’s parents. The rugby player, who is a decade older than his new partner, is set to miss the Stormers’ match against the Scarlets over the weekend. SIYA KOLISI MEETS THE PARENTS On his Instagram Stories, Siya Kolisi posted a clip of him mingling with South African artist Vumaala at the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), which kicked off on Wednesday, 21 October. While Siya made no mention of his visit to the country, where his girlfriend Rachel John is originally from, she did. The curly-haired influencer posted an image of Siya walking beside her father on a trip with her parents. In the pic, Siya’s back faced the camera, while he appeared deep in conversation with his partner’s dad. Rachel posted two heart emojis, potentially signifying her love for both her father and Siya. RACHEL.20? Siya’s new partner, Rachel John, has left many South Africans questioning if the bubbly brunette could potentially be the future Mrs Kolisi. Rachel shares the name of Siya’s ex-wife, the mother of his two children. If the influencer were to marry, could she also become Rachel Kolisi? Siya’s former spouse has made it clear that she has no plans to legally change her name following her divorce. Speaking to 947 in March, the former Springbok WAG was asked how she felt about another woman taking on the role of stepmother. Rachel responded: “I can only parent the best that I can, and that is my priority. Everything else is none of my business”.

The Sharks and Lions returned to URC action with away clashes on 23 October. Here are the results from the first two matches of the URC Round 4. Edinburgh vs Lions First half (5-3) The Lions were in action at the Edinburgh Rugby Stadium on Friday night. Edinburgh went into the clash as the only team still unbeaten in the URC this season, while the Lions were 6th on the table. Conditions were tricky, with rain falling as the teams ran out onto the pitch. The Lions tested the hosts early, mauling the ball and floating kicks over the defensive line. However, Edinburgh easily neutralized the threats and were gifted the ball by the visitors’ frail lineout. The hosts were the first to score as Matthew Currie finished off a slick team move. One of the major battles was at the set pieces, with the Lions dominating the scrums. Chris Smith got the Lions rolling after half an hour, slotting the penalty kick. Full-time. Edinburgh take the W! 💪#BKTURC #URC | #EDIvLIO pic.twitter.com/8EYl1FphHG— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) October 23, 2026 Second half (31-10) It took just two minutes for the hosts to extend their lead through a Mosese Tuipuloto try. At 51 minutes, Edinburgh created even more distance through a try by Harry Paterson, showing his pace. The hosts continued to assert their dominance, clearly more comfortable in the damp conditions. However, the Lions clawed back with a try from Hlekani Batho at close range. Edinburgh came firing back with 15 minutes left, as Paterson sealed a brace. Geordie Gwynn was put into space and put the game well and truly to bed. The hosts remain unbeaten at the top of the table, while the Lions drop to 8th, according to the URC website. Cardiff Rugby vs Sharks First half (7-17) The Sharks continued their away tour with a visit to Cardiff Arms Park on Friday. Emile van Heerden was honoured by exiting the tunnel first on his 50th appearance for the club. Andre Esterhuizen became the game’s first casualty when he limped off just 52 seconds in, replaced by Jaco Williams. The Sharks started perfectly, with Zekhethelo Siyaya offloading for Ethan Hooker to score on his return. Cardiff withstood the early pressure, running the ball from their half for Josh Adams to cross over. The Sharks regained the lead through Matt Romao, who ran a good line onto Jordan Hendrikse’s pass. Cam Winnett was the next player to leave the field after a brutal clash with Edwill van der Merwe at full speed. The Sharks had the final say of the first half when Jason Jenkins powered his way over. Second half (21-31) Cardiff closed the gap to just 3 points after James Botham was muscled over the try line. Try-scorer Jenkins became another injury concern as he limped off the field, with Stephan Lewies coming on. At 62 minutes, Cardiff moved ahead from the rolling maul through Botham again. The Sharks remained in the fight, eventually muscling over through Thomas du Toit. As momentum swirled, the Durbanites scored from the rolling maul – Ethan Bester was credited with the try. Romao then scored from the turnover at the death, leaving Cardiff with nothing to show for their efforts. The Sharks are now up to 2nd on the table, while Cardiff has dropped to 7th. WHICH MATCH OF THE URC ROUND 4 DID YOU WATCH? Let us know by clicking on the comment banner below.

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