Steve
06-20-2009, 05:01 PM
Boks escape Lions' jaws
Dominant pack ensures slender win for.South Africa
By Simon Dilger (http://msnsport.skysports.com/contactus/0,20299,,00.html) Last updated: 20th June 2009
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A stunning second half fightback saw the Lions fall agonisingly short of denying South Africa a narrow victory in a thrilling first Test in Durban on Saturday.
An early try from Springbok skipper John Smit plus penalties from fly half Ruan Pienaar and full-back Francois Steyn saw the Boks open up a commanding 19-7 first-half lead.
But, with their pack bossing things up front and game seemingly won, the hosts sat back in the second and soon found them selves on the receiving end of a brutal onslaught from the resurgent Lions.
Scores either side of half time by flanker Tom Croft and a try close to the death by scrum half Mike Phillips took the visitors to within five points of the world champions.
But despite a frantic final five minutes that saw the Lions launch repeated attacks on a tiring Springbok defence, the hosts managed to cling on for the whistle.
Delightful
Lions fly half Stephen Jones missed a long range penalty kick from wide on the left two minutes into the game
But it was Smit who struck the first blow on the five minute mark when the Lions were turned over at their first lineout.
After moving the ball left, a delightful chip from Pienaar sent Ugo Monye scampering back to his line to deny JP Pietersen in the right corner.
The hosts, smelling blood, piled on the pressure and when the ball was shifted wide from the scrum the skipper crashed over. Pienaar added the extras to open up a 7-0 lead.
Two minutes later and Monye briefly silenced the Pretoria crowd after latching onto the ball from a Lions scrum and bursting over but the video referee confirmed that Jean de Villiers had somehow managed to get his arm underneath.
Pienaar extended South Africa's lead with a straightforward penalty on the 10 minute mark and five minutes later Jones spurned the opportunity to close the gap with a missed effort of his own.
Exploded
Steyn took the score to 13-0 with his first goal attempt at the end of the first quarter but within three minutes England flanker Tom Croft raised the stakes with a brilliantly worked try courtesy of Jamie Roberts and Brian O'Driscoll.
This time it was the Boks who were caught napping at the lineout and Roberts exploded through the midfield before expertly offloading to O'Driscoll.
The Irish centre set off on a jinking run through the Springbok defence to feed Croft who crashed over from close range. Jones slotted the conversion to put the Lions right back in the game.
South Africa's dominance at the scrum however began to reap dividends and a Steyn penalty from the breakdown on 27 minutes, plus further goals from Pienaar in the 31st and 34th, saw the hosts end the first half with a commanding 19-7 lead.
The Springbok pack continued to stamp it's authority on the game from the restart and within six minutes had shoved their Lions counterparts some 60 humiliating metres in a series rolling mauls for their second try.
Heinrich Brussow was the man to cross for the Boks, while Pienaar added two more to take his them to 26-7.
Frantic
The Lions however began to find more rhythm and their first solid scrum of the game gave O'Driscoll the opportunity to launch a scything attack through the Springbok ranks.
An early tackle on Roberts gave them the penalty advantage and Mike Phillips went agonisingly close to the line at full stretch but Bakkies Botha dislodged the ball.
With the Lions forced to go for broke and push for the try, South Africa, confident that the game was in the bag, now seemed happy to concede penalties.
The decision to ease off the gas would cost the hosts however as the Lions camped themselves in the Springbok half.
And the pressure paid off 12 minutes from time when the mercurial partnership of Roberts and O'Driscoll once again provided the platform for Croft to claim his second.
Jones took the kick to close the scores to 26-14 and the visitors, sensing weakness now, began to put an increasingly tired looking South Africa to the sword.
The Lions continued to hammer the Boks with wave after wave of attack and it was Phillips who opened up the gap with a beautiful dummy to nip through on 75 minutes.
Jones slotted two more to take the score to 26-21 and set up a frantic final five minutes.
and a Springbok side hanging on for dear life.
Dominant pack ensures slender win for.South Africa
By Simon Dilger (http://msnsport.skysports.com/contactus/0,20299,,00.html) Last updated: 20th June 2009
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A stunning second half fightback saw the Lions fall agonisingly short of denying South Africa a narrow victory in a thrilling first Test in Durban on Saturday.
An early try from Springbok skipper John Smit plus penalties from fly half Ruan Pienaar and full-back Francois Steyn saw the Boks open up a commanding 19-7 first-half lead.
But, with their pack bossing things up front and game seemingly won, the hosts sat back in the second and soon found them selves on the receiving end of a brutal onslaught from the resurgent Lions.
Scores either side of half time by flanker Tom Croft and a try close to the death by scrum half Mike Phillips took the visitors to within five points of the world champions.
But despite a frantic final five minutes that saw the Lions launch repeated attacks on a tiring Springbok defence, the hosts managed to cling on for the whistle.
Delightful
Lions fly half Stephen Jones missed a long range penalty kick from wide on the left two minutes into the game
But it was Smit who struck the first blow on the five minute mark when the Lions were turned over at their first lineout.
After moving the ball left, a delightful chip from Pienaar sent Ugo Monye scampering back to his line to deny JP Pietersen in the right corner.
The hosts, smelling blood, piled on the pressure and when the ball was shifted wide from the scrum the skipper crashed over. Pienaar added the extras to open up a 7-0 lead.
Two minutes later and Monye briefly silenced the Pretoria crowd after latching onto the ball from a Lions scrum and bursting over but the video referee confirmed that Jean de Villiers had somehow managed to get his arm underneath.
Pienaar extended South Africa's lead with a straightforward penalty on the 10 minute mark and five minutes later Jones spurned the opportunity to close the gap with a missed effort of his own.
Exploded
Steyn took the score to 13-0 with his first goal attempt at the end of the first quarter but within three minutes England flanker Tom Croft raised the stakes with a brilliantly worked try courtesy of Jamie Roberts and Brian O'Driscoll.
This time it was the Boks who were caught napping at the lineout and Roberts exploded through the midfield before expertly offloading to O'Driscoll.
The Irish centre set off on a jinking run through the Springbok defence to feed Croft who crashed over from close range. Jones slotted the conversion to put the Lions right back in the game.
South Africa's dominance at the scrum however began to reap dividends and a Steyn penalty from the breakdown on 27 minutes, plus further goals from Pienaar in the 31st and 34th, saw the hosts end the first half with a commanding 19-7 lead.
The Springbok pack continued to stamp it's authority on the game from the restart and within six minutes had shoved their Lions counterparts some 60 humiliating metres in a series rolling mauls for their second try.
Heinrich Brussow was the man to cross for the Boks, while Pienaar added two more to take his them to 26-7.
Frantic
The Lions however began to find more rhythm and their first solid scrum of the game gave O'Driscoll the opportunity to launch a scything attack through the Springbok ranks.
An early tackle on Roberts gave them the penalty advantage and Mike Phillips went agonisingly close to the line at full stretch but Bakkies Botha dislodged the ball.
With the Lions forced to go for broke and push for the try, South Africa, confident that the game was in the bag, now seemed happy to concede penalties.
The decision to ease off the gas would cost the hosts however as the Lions camped themselves in the Springbok half.
And the pressure paid off 12 minutes from time when the mercurial partnership of Roberts and O'Driscoll once again provided the platform for Croft to claim his second.
Jones took the kick to close the scores to 26-14 and the visitors, sensing weakness now, began to put an increasingly tired looking South Africa to the sword.
The Lions continued to hammer the Boks with wave after wave of attack and it was Phillips who opened up the gap with a beautiful dummy to nip through on 75 minutes.
Jones slotted two more to take the score to 26-21 and set up a frantic final five minutes.
and a Springbok side hanging on for dear life.