The British and Irish Lions

Ian McGeechan’s tourists secured a 37-25 victory thanks to tries from Tommy Bowe, Lee Byrne, Alun-Wyn Jones and Ronan O’Gara, together with 17 points from the impeccable boot of the Lions’ Irish fly-half.

The Lions left it late to ensure they got off to a winning start, with Jones crossing with just four minutes left to play before O’Gara cruised over with the final move of a nerve-wracking encounter in Phokeng. Having only enjoyed two weeks together prior to the opening game in the Republic, the Lions began well but soon found themselves chasing the game after an impressive opening half hour from the home side.

With 11 members of the Royal XV having tasted Vodacom Cup success with the Griquas earlier this month and the remaining four starting players all coming from the Leopards, the Royal XV worked well as a unit and showed plenty of confidence as they opened up a 18-3 lead over Britain and Ireland’s elite.

Early tries from captain Wilhelm Kock and Rayno Barnes gave the Royal XV a commanding lead as the Lions struggled to turn their dominance in the scrum into territory and points. Kock’s third try in senior colours came after deft hands from inside centre Hanno Coetzee following a lineout deep in the Lions 22. Décoy runners directly from the lineout appeared to leave the Lions confused, with Kock stretching over for a well-worked score that moved the hosts 8-3 in front after O’Gara and Naas Olivier had traded penalties. Olivier added the conversion and another penalty to extend the lead to 10 points with just over a quarter of the match played, before Barnes powered through the middle of a maul to push the Royal XV even further in front after 26 minutes.
The hard-working hooker, who was one of the South African side’s most impressive performers throughout, capitalised on the IRB’s decision to reintroduce the collapse of a maul as a penalty offence as the Lions failed to halt his side’s forward momentum following a lineout just six metres from the tryline.

After scrum-half Mike Blair had come close to registering the Lions’ first try of the tour courtesy of a charge down of opposite number Sarel Pretorius’ box kick, the Lions finally hit back with a straight-forward score from Bowe. The man who claimed the crucial try in Ireland’s Grand Slam clinching win over Wales earlier this year took an inside pass from O’Gara to slice through underneath the posts from just 10 metres out. O’Gara’s simple conversion completed the seven-point score as the Lions brought themselves back to within touching distance at 18-10 just two minutes before the half-time break.

The Lions then began the second period the brighter of the two sides, with an O’Gara penalty closing the gap to 18-13 after 42 minutes before Shane Williams came within inches of a second Lions try six minutes later and then had another score ruled out for a knock on before the second half was 15 minutes old.

Despite appearing as though they would continue to claw their way back into the game, the Lions then suffered what looked as though it might be the killer blow as Royal XV claimed their third try of the match. Solid work and hard yards from openside Devon Raubenheimer and lock Jacques Lombard paved the way for prop Bees Roux to power over from close range.
Replacement outside-half Riaan Viljoen slotted the difficult extras to put the invitational side back in the driving seat at 25-13 with just 15 minutes left to play.

Fortunately for McGeechan and his fellow coaches, the Lions then showed true grit and determination to turn a likely defeat into a valuable victory at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace.

Man-of-the-match Byrne capped a commanding performance with a fine individual try just a minute after Viljoen’s conversion, before Jones and O’Gara finished off proceedings with time running out. After spotting plenty of space behind the Royal XV defensive line, the Ospreys full back gathered his own chip ahead to grab a much-need score on his Lions debut. O’Gara made no mistake with the conversion and then added his third successful penalty to reduce the deficit to just two points at 25-23 with eight minutes remaining.

With the Royal XV visibly tiring, replacement second row Jones then finally ensured the class of 2009 would not become the first pride of Lions to lose their opening fixture in 38 years as he found a way through when defeat was becoming a real possibility. This time the driving maul worked in the Lions’ favour as it provided the platform for sustained pressure after Lee Mears had found captain Paul O’Connell in the middle of a lineout in the Royal 22. O’Gara’s difficult conversion from wide on the right left the Royal XV chasing a try just to level matters and the influential No10 then put the game beyond doubt as he rounded off proceedings with the Lions’ fourth try with the full 80 minutes on the clock.

Mike Phillips found fellow Welshman Martyn Williams on the edge of the 22, with the veteran flanker drawing three defenders and supplying a behind-the-head pass to the grateful O’Gara.
With their first victory under their belts, the Lions now turn their attentions to Wednesday’s game against their namesakes the Golden Lions in Johannesburg as they continue their build up to the three-Test series against the Springboks beginning on June 20.

The second Match

On to the second match against the Golden Lions and well the tour really kicked off with an emphatic win.

Ian McGeechan’s men scored 10 tries in total as they followed up Saturday’s narrow victory over the Royal XV with a superb team performance at Coca Cola Park.

Ugo Monye, Tommy Bowe and Jamie Roberts grabbed a brace of tries apiece, with Tom Croft, Brian O’Driscoll, James Hook and Stephen Ferris also on the scoresheet in South Africa’s largest city.

Forwards and backs alike combined to keep the ball alive at every opportunity as the Lions made light of the limited time they have so far spent in each other’s company. While the winning margin was thoroughly comprehensive, it in no way flattered the tourists who dominated in all areas of play including the set piece. Having left it late to win their opening tour match last Saturday, the Lions ensured the result was never in doubt this time around. The match was effectively over inside 25 minutes as four tries took the Lions into a commanding 25-3 lead.

The Lions opened the scoring with just five minutes on the clock thanks to a cleverly-worked try from Roberts.
One of three players to have also started the mid-week win in Phokeng, Roberts picked an inside line off centre partner O’Driscoll after the Leinster star had turned a straight two-on-two into the first real scoring opportunity of the night.
With Leicester’s Croft claiming lineout ball at the tail, the Lions were soon over the gainline courtesy of second rows Alun-Wyn Jones and Nathan Hines. Mike Phillips and Stephen Jones spread the ball wide and O’Driscoll produced a trade mark step to take two defenders out of the game and open a try-scoring gap for Roberts. Try number two followed just three minutes later through match skipper O’Driscoll as provider turned try scorer on the High Veld. Ireland’s Grand Slam winning captain stepped inside the final defender to supply an assured finish after Bowe had come in off his wing deep in opposition territory.
Two superb touches from the boot of Stephen Jones created the initial platform with the latter forcing Michael Killian to scramble the ball into touch just a metre from the Golden Lions line.

Having played his part in the score itself, the Welsh fly-half added his second conversion to make it 14-0 before kicking his first penalty of the night with 19 minutes played. Monye was then next on the try sheet two minutes later after he rounded off another stunning Lions attack. Lee Mears kept the ball alive instead of taking contact having looped round the back of a lineout in his own half, allowing Roberts to cross the gainline once more. Roberts followed Mears in finding a team-mate rather than accepting a tackle, with Bowe on the Welshman’s shoulder 40 metres from the Golden Lions line. With one man to beat, Bowe unselfishly floated a lengthy pass out to his fellow wing Monye who out sprinted the cover to dive over in the left-hand corner.
The difficult angle of the conversion resulted in Jones’ missing the target for the first time but the Lions had established a 22-point advantage with just 25 minutes played.

That lead soon stretched to 29 a minute before the half-hour mark as Croft showed his blistering pace to join Monye in claiming a try on debut for Britain and Ireland’s elite.

The Golden Lions hit back with a score of their own prior to half time as replacement full back Mike Frolick sprinted clear with 37 minutes gone but it made only the slightest dent in a commanding opening half from the Lions. Former Springbok fly-half Andre Pretorious slotted a difficult conversion from wide on the right to reduce the deficit but, fittingly, it was the British and Irish variety of the Lions who claimed the final score before the interval.

With the clock having reached 40 minutes and no time left for a kick to touch, O’Driscoll decided his side would run the ball from just 15 metres shy of the try line rather than take a simple three points. It was a decision that paid dividends as Roberts powered over for his second try of the half. With Stephen Jones completing the seven-point score the Lions took a 39-10 lead into the break. Bowe added a further two scores in the early and middle part of the second period; the first after the Lions had used Roberts as a decoy to break the first line of defence before Stephen Jones provided the killer touch with a deft flick pass. The second arrived through an interception on halfway, with Jones successful with both conversions – one from the right-hand touchline and the other from directly underneath the uprights. Bowe was then involved in the Lions’ eighth score as he took possession and transferred it in the same movement to give Monye his second try of the game. Monye left two covering defenders for dead as he sliced through the middle of the Golden Lions defence to increase the lead to 58-10 with 12 minutes remaining.

Replacement fly-half Hook kicked the conversion before adding an intercept try and another two points to put even more shine on an accomplished performance from the 2009 Lions against a Super 14 side containing the majority of their first-choice XV.
With the hooter then having sounded at the end of the 80 minutes but the ball being kept alive by the Golden Lions, there was still time for Ferris to race clear for a 50-metre break away score after Gethin Jenkins had driven the opposition back in the tackle.
Ferris showed great speed for a blindside flanker, with Pretorious unable to catch the Ulsterman in what was the last play of the match.

The Third Game

Ian McGeechan’s men followed up contrasting victories over the Royal XV and the Golden Lions with a hard-fought 26-24 win over another Super 14 outfit at Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein.

The Lions opened up a 20-0 lead inside as many minutes through tries from Stephen Ferris and Keith Earls, with James Hook converting both efforts and kicking two well-taken penalties. Things were less straightforward for the remaining hour, however, as the Cheetahs hit back with two tries of their own to put the Lions under severe pressure. The home side nearly sneaked a seemingly improbable victory with just 90 seconds remaining but fate saw Louis Strydom's long-distance drop goal slide narrowly wide of the far post, much to the relief of skipper Paul O’Connell and his men. Having taken an eighth-minute lead courtesy of a 45-metre penalty from Hook, the Lions were celebrating their first try of the match just two minutes later. With Jacques-Louis Potgieter having missed a penalty attempt of his own to level the scores, Hook’s long drop out was fielded by the Cheetahs but they failed to protect the ball at the ensuing ruck just outside their own 22. When the ball came loose, Ferris stooped to pick up possession before displaying a fantastic turn of pace to sprint clear. The Ulster flanker scored a 50-metre interception try on Wednesday night but the nature of this effort was arguably even more impressive.Hook added the simple extras from directly underneath the posts to increase the lead to 10 points as the Lions continued where they left off against the Golden Lions in Johannesburg four days ago.

A good start got even better with just over a quarter of an hour on the clock when Earls claimed the Lions’ second try in quick succession. The Munster centre put to bed a disappointing opening first half against the Royal XV in his first Lions appearance a week ago as he supplied an accomplished finish to a beautifully executed move from the Lions. Smooth lineout possession on halfway allowed Harry Ellis to provide Hook with quick ball and the Ospreys No10 lofted a deft chip over the head of the onrushing Cheetahs midfield and straight into the arms of Earls. The 21-year-old stepped past both full back and right wing in the space of 10 metres before diving over the line a similar distance from the left of the posts. Hook duly converted to give the tourists a 17-0 lead with the same number of minutes played. The Welsh playmaker, who was only called up to the squad on the eve of departure for South Africa after injury kept Leigh Halfpenny at home for the early part of the tour, then kicked a second penalty to extend the advantage and further silence the home section of the 23,000-strong crowd.

Former Springbok squad member Meyer Bosman was penalised for holding on after Luke Fitzgerald and Halfpenny made had driven the Lions forward and Hook had little difficultly in making the Cheetahs centre pay for his error. The one-way traffic of the opening quarter soon came to an abrupt end with the game’s major turning point arriving with 23 minutes gone. Try-scorer Ferris made a crunching tackle as the Cheetahs hurled themselves into the Lions 22 but the Irishman failed to roll away and considerably slowed down South African possession in the process. Guinness Premiership referee Wayne Barnes was not impressed and he responded by sending the Lions’ blindside to the sin bin. By the time Ferris returned 10 minutes later, the Lions’ lead had been cut to just six points.

Left wing Danwel Demas was the first Cheetah to cross the Lions’ line four minutes after Ferris’ untimely departure.
The South African Sevens star looked dangerous throughout the afternoon and he gratefully accepted Potgieter’s well-weighted pass just five metres from the Lions’ line as the Cheetahs made immediate use of their numerical advantage.
Demas went over untouched, taking the scoring pass just inside the left touchline and then cruising round towards the posts for a score that brought life back into a previously startled South African support.The 27-year-old flyer then went close to claiming another try of his own with 31 minutes played and, although the bounce of ball proved unkind to his own quest, the Cheetahs didn’t have to wait long for their second team score.

This time it was power rather than pace that did the damage, with prop Wian du Preez barging over from close-range after the Lions had lost possession deep inside their own territory. Fly-half Potgieter was successful with both conversions to bring the Cheetahs back to within a single score and dispel any thoughts of a Lions try-scoring fest to match the 74-10 midweek win at Coca Cola Park. Hook and Potgieter traded penalties either side of half-time before impressive work in the scrum from the Lions pack earned another kickable penalty attempt. Hook rewarded his forwards for their dominance in the setpiece with his sixth successful kick at goal from six attempts as the Lions moved nine points clear with just under half an hour remaining.
That proved to be the Lions’ last scoring contribution of the match, however, as Britain and Ireland’s elite failed to hit their Wednesday night heights.

Instead, it was the Cheetahs who claimed their third try of the match through a 90-metre interception from centre Corne Uys.
With the Lions pressing for what surely would have been the killer score, Shane Williams attempted to feed Hook just 10 metres from the Cheetahs line but Uys read the pass perfectly and ran the almost the length of the field to give his side real hope of a remarkable victory. With the conversion added from underneath the uprights the Cheetahs knew another penalty or drop goal would see them turn a two-point defeat into a single-point win over McGeechan’s men.

And they so nearly ensured that was the case with more than 78 minutes played as Strydom made contact with a 45-metre drop from wide on the left. Both sets of players seemed to have to wait an eternity for the ball to fall from the South African sky and when it did, it was the Lions who were breathing a sigh of relief. Having seen out the closing minute-and-a-half in Bloemfontein, the Lions now travel to Durban to face the Sharks at ABSA Stadium. It’s then on to Cape Town to play Western Province next Saturday before a Tuesday night clash with the Southern Kings precedes a return to Durban for the first Test against the Springboks on June 20.

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