South Africa claim series win over British & Irish Lions

A 79th minute penalty from Morne Steyn saw South Africa to a 2-1 series triumph over the British & Irish Lions as they won 19-16 on Saturday.

After losing the opening Test, the world champions bounced back to claim the remaining matches as the Lions will head home licking their wounds.

Cheslin Kolbe scored South Africa’s only try while Handre Pollard added eight points and Steyn kicked two penalties in the latter stages in Cape Town.

For the Lions they crossed through Ken Owens while Finn Russell slotted a conversion and three penalty goals, but the touring outfit came up short.

Inspired by Russell who had replaced the injured Dan Biggar, the Lions produced their best rugby of the series in a first-half they lit up with off-loads, tempo and ambition.

The only concern was that Owens’ 19th-minute try as part of a 10-6 interval lead was a disappointing return given the time spent in the opposition 22 and so it proved in a tense third quarter dominated by the Springboks.

Kolbe struck with a brilliant finish to propel South Africa back in front and set-up a nerve-shredding climax to the series as Russell, Pollard and then Steyn took over from the kicking tee.

But trailing 16-13, the Lions rolled the dice by opting for touch instead of another three points and the gamble backfired when a scrum won after they had been held up over the line saw the Springboks win a penalty to relieve the pressure.

They did not make the same mistake twice, however, with Russell completing a long-range attempt to level the score with five minutes left, but there was still time for Steyn to strike.

In a desperate blow for Biggar, his departure soon after missing a shot at goal brought on Russell who made an immediate impact with the ball in hand once Pollard had sent a kick sailing between the uprights to draw first blood.

The Lions were gaining a crucial foothold at the scrum and when they squeezed the hosts once more, referee Mathieu Raynal awarded a penalty that Russell landed comfortably.

And Russell was at the heart of a Lions attack that swept them downfield, sharp lines and slipped passes doing the damage and forcing another kickable penalty, but this time Alun Wyn Jones opted for touch.

The gamble paid off as Owens was driven over from the line-out and with Russell on target with the conversion, the lead stretched to 10-3.

Liam Williams ignored an overlap that would have led to a certain score for Josh Adams as the Lions, guided by Russell, continued to make ground with the ball in hand before a second attempt at scoring a maul try ended with Raynal’s whistle.

Wyn Jones, the tourists’ most effective scrummaging loosehead, was clutching his shoulder in discomfort and South Africa forced a penalty at the set-piece that Pollard nailed.

The first-half ended with the Springboks furiously defending their line with Siya Kolisi coming to their rescue with a critical steal.

Wyn Jones finally departed with his injury soon after the interval and it became the Lions’ turn to weather a storm as South Africa pounded away without success, their disappointment compounded by a missed penalty by Pollard.

A high tackle by Russell on Kolbe was whistled but once more Pollard could not hit the target and with 55 minutes on the clock, the tourists finally escaped their half with a long kick from their mercurial fly-half.

But disaster struck almost immediately when a hoisted ball bounced off Jasper Wiese’s shoulder and fell to Lukhanyo Am, who fed Willie le Roux.

The former Wasps full-back did his job perfectly as he drew his man and fed Kolbe who twisted and turned through despairing tackles by Williams and Luke Cowan-Dickie to score.

Russell punished an infringement by Wiese to level the score but Steyn replaced Pollard and his first act was to land a penalty.

The Lions were held up over the line and could not capitalise on a five-metre scrum, but they were back on the front foot through a rampaging break by Robbie Henshaw.

Russell then found the posts but Steyn had the final say as he returned to haunt the Lions.

South Africa level series in bruising encounter

The British and Irish Lions will collide with South Africa in a series decider next Saturday after the Springboks emerged emphatic 27-9 winners from an ugly second Test at Cape Town Stadium.

A grisly spectacle disfigured by repeated stoppages saw the Lions build a deserved 9-6 interval lead through three Dan Biggar penalties, but having been largely bossed until that point the world champions began to snarl in the second half.

Makazole Mapimpi crossed to propel them back in front and then Lukhanyo Am touched down as they capitalised on excellent kicks from Handre Pollard and Faf de Klerk.

A feature of the match was the world champions’ growing control of the air as the Lions struggled to deal with the barrage of kicks raining down on them, while up-front the home pack muscled up in a dominant 40 minutes.

Unlike in the first Test that was lost 22-17, the ‘Bomb Squad’ had the desired impact from the bench, and the size of the win as the Springboks powered over the finishing line with their forwards rampant suggests they were undercooked for the series opener seven days earlier.

A major outbreak of coronavirus severely disrupted their build-up but by full-time of this rematch they had rediscovered their swagger as the Lions fell away at an alarming rate.

South Africa were lucky to see Cheslin Kolbe avoid a red card after he took Conor Murray out in the air, while a high tackle by De Klerk, also on Murray, was given only brief attention by the officials.

Otherwise it was a fine performance by referee Ben O’Keeffe, who was subject to unprecedented scrutiny after Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus released an extraordinary hour-long critique of the officiating in the first Test.

O’Keeffe was calm and composed throughout a fractious match that was constantly interrupted by reviews on a huge number of incidents, with the first half alone lasting over an hour.

In a sign of the conflict to come, tempers flared as early as the third minute with Alun Wyn Jones and Eben Etzebeth locking horns after a South African maul was halted just short of the line.

O’Keeffe seized the opportunity to assert his authority to the captains and a cagey opening was under way with Pollard and Biggar exchanging penalties as the packs tore into each other.

Kolbe came off worse in a head-on head collision with Tom Curry that he instigated, fortunately escaping any sanction, as the Lions continued to edge a ferocious opening quarter.

Biggar was on target with a second penalty and the bad news began to pile up for the Springboks as Pollard missed the posts and 2019 world player of the year Pieter-Steph du Toit departed with a shoulder injury sustained during an earlier tackle by Duhan van der Merwe.

It was a contentious challenge that ended Du Toit’s match but Van der Merwe did not escape O’Keeffe’s attention for a trip on Kolbe that was punished with a yellow card.

The advantage was rapidly wiped out, however, when Kolbe took Murray out in the air and was also sent to the sin-bin where he could reflect on his luck that the card was not red.

Courtney Lawes and Maro Itoje pinched home ball on successive line-outs as the absence of Du Toit began to bite at the set-piece.

The Lions were now on top as they camped on South Africa’s line, applying pressure with the line-out and then scrum before Robbie Henshaw was unable to ground the ball over the line because of Siya Kolisi’s intervention after grabbing Murray’s kick.

Biggar’s boot gave the tourists the lead for the first time but the second half had barely begun when Pollard hoisted a kick to the wing for Mapimpi to collect and score.

Momentum was growing behind South Africa and a powerful maul swept them forwards before De Klerk grubbered for Am to score, although he did not appear to have full control of the ball.

It was foot on the throat time as Pollard rifled over two penalties and the Lions looked a spent force, unable to match the Springboks’ physicality.

British & Irish Lions edge South Africa in series opener

The British & Irish Lions came from behind in a dominant second half to seize an early lead in their series against South Africa with a tense 22-17 win at Cape Town Stadium.

Trailing 12-3 at the interval after being picked apart by the boot of Handre Pollard, the Lions came alive as a Luke Cowan-Dickie try ignited a fightback that was completed by the boots of Dan Biggar and Owen Farrell.

South Africa were playing only their second international since lifting the 2019 World Cup but there was little sign of rustiness as their simple gameplan based around territory and forcing penalties initially unfolded as planned.

A fractured build-up that forced the entire Springboks squad to self-isolate for six days as well as key players such as Siya Kolisi and Pollard testing positive for coronavirus had no apparent impact as they played to their strengths beautifully.

It was often an ugly spectacle and at times the Lions looked slightly lost, failing to gain a meaningful foothold up-front and with half-backs Ali Price and Biggar unable to provide direction.

But a dramatic swing took place early in the second half as South Africa’s discipline collapsed as a resurgent Lions began stamping their authority in every area while Biggar kicked the points.

The feared Springboks pack went from bullies to bullied and although the world champions hustled a try through Faf de Klerk, they looked vulnerable across the pitch.

The Lions bench came on to close out an arm wrestle of a series opener with Farrell, who had replaced Biggar, slotting a 79th-minute penalty.

A predictably ferocious opening saw swarming breakdown work by both teams interrupted by persistent kicking and a savage tackle by Lukhanyo Am on Elliot Daly.

Already the Lions were looking to play more rugby as typified by Anthony Watson attempting to run the ball out from his own 22, while South Africa were content to kick, mostly through De Klerk.

Pollard drew first blood with a penalty and when Tom Curry made a late tackle on De Klerk, he added another three points as an opening quarter controlled by the Springboks came to an end.

Rassie Erasmus, South Africa’s director of rugby, made his first appearance as a waterboy and soon after Biggar landed a penalty with the Lions benefiting from Maro Itoje’s predatory work at the breakdown.

But the tourists’ indiscipline was becoming a recurring problem as Pollard booted another six points to extend the lead to 12-3 while Biggar failed with a routine shot at goal.

A tense first-half neared its conclusion with Daly just falling short with a long-range penalty attempt and the Lions’ hearts were in their mouths when Robbie Henshaw stepped through a gap in defence and raced upfield until Willie le Roux arrived to tackle the Ireland centre.

South Africa changed their entire front-row at half-time but when play restarted they came under immediate pressure as Alun Wyn Jones opted for the corner rather than taking the points.

The ambition paid off as the Lions constructed an unstoppable line-out maul that swept them over the whitewash with Cowan-Dickie touching down.

Le Roux had a try disallowed for a marginal offside call when Am kicked ahead but TMO Marius Jonker had no issue with De Klerk’s 50th-minute try.

Makazole Mapimpi and Pieter-Steph du Toit were heavily involved as the Lions failed to capitalise on a wild pass by Pollard and De Klerk arrived to poach the try from close range.

But successive penalties by Biggar that punished the Springboks for repeatedly straying offside kept the Lions in the hunt.

The momentum had now swung totally towards the tourists and for the first time they were ahead courtesy of Biggar’s boot, setting up nail-biting climax.

Nerves frayed once more when only a Cheslin Kolbe knock-on saw a Damian De Allende try chalked off and it was Farrell who had the final say.

Injury nightmare as Lions kick off with win over Japan

Captain Alun Wyn Jones was ruled out of the tour to South Africa with a dislocated shoulder and Justin Tipuric limped off as the British and Irish Lions’ 28-10 victory over Japan at Murrayfield came at a terrible cost.

The Wales forwards departed inside the opening 21 minutes but it was the serious injury suffered by tour captain Jones that caused the greatest alarm as he was escorted from the pitch.

It was a ruck clear-out that caused the damage and Lions boss Warren Gatland later confirmed their second-row talisman, who was set to take part in his fourth tour but first as skipper, could not take his seat on board Sunday’s flight to South Africa.

Tipuric’s afternoon ended following a tackle shortly after, his disconsolate look as he exited down the players’ tunnel suggesting his suspected shoulder issue was also significant.

Injuries aside, it was a rousing start to the tour by the Lions who amassed a 21-0 lead by half-time through tries by Josh Adams, Duhan van der Merwe and Robbie Henshaw and three Dan Biggar conversions.

Tadhg Beirne touched down early in the second half as the onslaught continued, the tries making up for a business-like performance that launched the tour with an impressive win.

A crowd of 16,500 ― rugby’s biggest since the pandemic began ― witnessed a rout brimming with positives, although fans loudly booed the unexpected announcement that all bars would be closed at half-time.

Attack coach Gregor Townsend billed Japan as the most dangerous opening opponents in Lions history, but they were a pale shadow of the side that electrified the 2019 World Cup.

This was their first outing since staging that tournament so rustiness was inevitable, but the high-energy swashbuckling style that eventually met its match in the quarter-finals against South Africa was seen only briefly.

The Lions’ medics and Japan’s defence experienced equally frantic openings as Jones’ afternoon was declared over in only the eighth minute.

Courtney Lawes came on as his replacement and once they had overcome the shock of losing their skipper, the Lions engineered their first meaningful attack that finished in a try for Adams.

Bundee Aki used his strength to pierce through Japan’s defence and when the ball was recycled Adams’ footwork and an outstretched arm got the scoreboard moving.

The Lions’ second try was all too easy as the Brave Blossoms failed to patrol the blindside as they were sent scrambling backwards and Van der Merwe picked up and strolled over.

Another hammer blow landed when Tipuric followed Jones off the pitch in the 22nd minute but for all the departures, the Lions were amassing points at a ferocious rate as Henshaw powered over the whitewash.

Japan were losing the collisions and slipping off tackles, inviting pressure onto themselves as the strength of Van der Merwe continued to make indentations and it looked bleak when half-time arrived.

Although not pretty, it was hugely effective as the rampaging Lions continued to outmuscle their opponents and Lawes had a try disallowed for failing to ground the ball properly.

There was no doubt about Beirne’s touchdown, however, as the Irish lock ran a smart line off Biggar’s pass and showed real pace as Japan fell further behind.

Replacement back-row Kazuki Himeno burrowed over from a line-out move as the Brave Blossoms finally made an impact on the scoreboard but their late flourish was too little, too late.