The Lions bounced back in style this week with a super performance against the Cougars which saw winger Joey Romeo score four well taken tries.
The Lions took the lead in the second minute when Jordy Gibson put up a high kick and the Cougars defence stood back off the kick and Rhodri Lloyd collected the ball and was stopped just short but managed to offload to Joey Romeo who scored on the right with Dan Abram converting.
Keenan Dyer-Dixon then had a good chance down the left, but some good defence stopped him, but Cougars did get level on twelve minutes when Brad Walker kicked a forty-twenty and Mark Ioane crashed over from short range with Harvey Spence converting after a play the ball in the Lions ten.
Josh Eaves went close for the Lions before Cougars should really have scored when Mark Ioane when for the post, but lost control of the ball over the line and the Lions moved quickly down field, and this ended with Jake Spedding cutting inside to score by the posts and Abram converted.
Within a couple of minutes, they were in again when Josh Eaves broke to feed Spedding who sent Romeo in again and Abram converted. Abram then kicked a penalty before Romeo completed his hat trick seven minutes from the break, but Abram could not convert from the touchline, but Cougars hit back with their second try right on half time when Spence sold a huge dummy to score by the posts and convert.
Romeo scored his fourth two minutes into the second half when some more good play by Spedding sent him in at the corner and Abram converted from the touchline. Lloyd had to leave the field for a HIA when he clashed heads in a tackle but was able to return. Romeo almost scored a fifth when he intercepted near his own line but was chased down ten metres out and from this tackle the Lions got a penalty for holding down and Abram converted.
Cougars came back again on the hour when Thomas Doyle scored by the posts from short range and Spence converted, Josh Lynam then added another with eleven minutes left when the Lions defence couldn’t a kick through, and Spence again added the conversion.
It got even closer with three minutes left when Mo Agoro scored in the right corner following pressure from a six again, but Spence could not convert from the touchline against the breeze and in the very last minute the Lions defence was tested again when Dyer-Dixon went for the corner but was judged offside from the short kick.
Ian Rigg
