Visagie, Dobela star as Lions edge Ospreys

Lions captain Jaco Visagie bagged a brace of tries while flyhalf Lubabalo Dobela scored the stunning extra-time winner to seal a dramatic victory over Ospreys at Ellis Park on Saturday night.

The lead changed hands eight times in a nine-try thriller and it was Dobela’s finish, in his first URC start, that sealed the 29–28 victory as the Lions sent off Edwill van der Merwe (Sharks) and Marius Louw (Sale) with a win.

Van der Merwe and fellow Springbok Quan Horn combined brilliantly with the former scoring to give the hosts an early lead.

Who else 😌

🚀 Edwill Van Der Merwe flies over for @LionsRugbyCo!

How many more ✨iconic ✨ celebrations will we see from him in a Lions jersey?#BKTURC #URC | #LIOvOSP pic.twitter.com/bnwsdhptV8

— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) May 17, 2025

Ospreys responded instantly from the restart, flanker Will Griffiths charged down Richard Kriel’s exit kick in the red zone, regathered and scored to make it 7–5.

The Lions continued their season’s trend of unforced errors, with promising territory and possession going to waste. Still, they reclaimed the lead before half time when Visagie finished off a flowing attack, supported by an inside ball from JC Pretorius. The Lions led 12–7 going into the changerooms.

Ospreys struck first after the break through lock James Ratti, finishing a patient attack inside the Lions 22m. Visagie then powered over for his second of the match, this time from a dominant maul to push the Lions back in front.

Fullback Jack Walsh responded with a try in the final quarter to restore Ospreys’ lead, before centre Henco van Wyk ran a sweet reverse line off Dobela to dot down for the Lions’ bonus-point try.

The Ospreys looked to have sealed it when replacement prop Sam Parry crashed over to make it 28–24 with less than a minute remaining. But the Lions were handed a lifeline after the buzzer, earning a penalty and kicking to the corner. From the lineout, Dobela capped his debut start with a dream finish—riding a high tackle and diving over in the corner to seal a dramatic 29–28 win.

Photo: Roberto Bregani/Gallo Images