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The Lions would not say 'die' in their United Rugby Championship (URC) encounter on Saturday, fighting back from seemingly impossible positions more than once, but eventually going down 39-37 to Ulster at Ellis Park in a thrilling classic.
AS IT HAPPENED | Lions v Ulster
The hosts had taken an 18-16 lead into half-time, but a period either side of the break where they conceded three tries in seven minutes and conceded a yellow card ultimately cost them.
Still, it was cracking entertainment for the Johannesburg crowd, and surely a fantastic advertisement for both the URC and the brand of rugby the Lions are trying to play.
The hosts displayed plenty of attacking enterprise once more, but basic errors, lineout malfunction and defensive lapses plagued their game.
The Lions were returning home for the first time since a hugely impressive European tour that saw them win three straight matches - against Ospreys, Cardiff and Edinburgh - on the road against the odds.
Despite those returns, they were still considered slight underdogs heading into this one, and those fears were confirmed inside four minutes when the tourists knocked the stuffing out of the Lions with an early try.
Springbok Duane Vermeulen had helped win the ball back for Ulster, who then simply moved the ball through the hands on the blind side where the Lions defence was all but absent.
Robert Baloucoune waltzed in for the score, and the Lions were rocked.
The hosts hit back with a penalty through Gianni Lombard, but that was almost immediately cancelled out by one from John Cooney as Ulster moved out to a 10-3 lead.
The Lions were struggling at lineout time, too, but they launched themselves back into the contest with a couple of brilliant pieces of individual skill.
First, Emmanuel Tshituka enforced a hugely important turnover when Ulster were charging. He then passed to tighthead prop Ruan Dreyer, who then delivered the deftest of offloads to Francke Horn, who should superb pace to finish the move.
It came against the run of play and in slightly fortuitous fashion, but at 10-10, the Lions were not complaining.
Lombard then kicked the hosts into the lead on 26 minutes, and when Tshituka himself went crashing over soon afterwards, the Lions were 18-10 ahead and looking up for it.
They couldn't soak up a wave of Ulster pressure before half-time, however, that ultimately changed the game.
Not only did flyhalf Billy Burns cross the whitewash, but the Lions lost outside centre Henco van Wyk to a yellow card that would hurt them immensely.
The scoreboard read 18-16 to the Lions at the break, but Ulster used their numerical advantage to land two quick tries - through Burns and Stuart McCloskey - to start the second period and they led 29-18 going into the final 30 minutes.
It was always going to be an uphill battle for the Lions from there, and when Rob Herring went over for Ulster's fifth to take it out to 36-18, it felt over as a contest.
The Lions, though, did not see it that way.
Springbok fullback Andries Coetzee was the beneficiary of multiple phases of Lions pressure near the Ulster line to score his side's third try, and when Jordan Hendrikse's conversion went wide, they were 36-23 down and within two scores with 18 minutes still to play.
Just two minutes later, the Lions had roared right back into it after their try of the afternoon. There was superb continuity with nifty hands and passing from Hendrikse and, particularly, Sibusiso Sangweni before left wing Quan Horn rounded it off.
Hendriske converted, and, suddenly, Ulster's lead was cut down to just six points at 36-30.
An Ulster penalty took it out to 39-30 with just a few minutes to go and, even then, the Lions would not go away.
It was Francke Horn who scored again, this time after a frantic attack saw the hosts keep the ball alive numerous times when it looked set to be lost.
Hendrikse nailed the conversion from wide right, and the scoreboard read 39-37 to Ulster with just two minutes left.
The crowd was up for it, the Lions were up for it, but the completion of what would have been an epic comeback was not to be.
Scorers:
Lions 37 (18)
Tries: Francke Horn (2), Emmanuel Tshituka, Andries Coetzee, Quan Horn
Conversions: Gianni Lombard, Jordan Hendrikse (2)
Penalties: Lombard (2)
Ulster 39 (15)
Tries: Robert Baloucoune, Billy Burns, Rob Lyttle, Stuart McCloskey, Rob Herring
Conversions: John Cooney (3), Natahn Doak
Penalties: Cooney, Doak
