Golden Lions stage stunning 20–16 comeback against St David’s

Gavi Graff’s late heroics and Khaye Mukhada’s second-half try lead the Lions to a dramatic victory in one of the festival’s most intense clashes.

In a dramatic comeback at the St John’s Easter Rugby Festival on April 19, the Golden Lions Invitational XV pulled off a thrilling 20–16 victory over a determined St David’s Marist Inanda’s side, who led for much of the match but fell just short in the final moments.

The game opened with the Golden Lions getting on the scoreboard first through fly-half Gavi Graff, who scored but missed the initial conversion.

Graff, who went on to score the winning try for his team, described the feeling as “awesome” after being behind for most of the match.

“I am grateful to my team for pushing through and giving it their all, and also to the coaching staff who guided us throughout the match.”

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Their early momentum continued when Graff was handed a penalty, but the attempt went wide.

The Lions followed with another penalty attempt that also missed the mark, leaving points on the field.

St David’s slowly clawed their way back into the game.

With just under 16 minutes left in the first half, right lock Julian Steven Jennings crossed the try line, narrowing the gap to 6–5.

Fly-half Luca Cabion, however, failed to convert, keeping the Lions narrowly ahead.

St David’s ramped up the pressure and were eventually rewarded when Cabion slotted a penalty to take the lead at 6–8 heading into halftime.

The second half saw St David’s build on their momentum.

Hooker Ben Archer surged over the line for a try, extending their lead to 6–13, although Cabion missed the conversion again.

Another penalty followed, and St David’s seemed in control with an 18–6 lead.

But the Golden Lions were not done yet.

Khaye Mukhada of the Lions sparked the comeback with a powerful try, cutting the deficit to 11–18.

Graff followed with a crucial conversion to bring it to 13–18.

St David’s, having poured everything into building their lead, were left stunned as the Lions’ resilience turned the tide in the dying minutes.

Despite their earlier dominance, the missed conversions proved costly, and the Golden Lions walked away with a hard-fought win in one of the festival’s most gripping encounters.

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