Sigma Lions 14
British & Irish Lions 56
FOR THE SECOND week running, the British and Irish Lions picked up a comfortable win without ever really hitting the type of consistency in their performance that will be needed to topple the world-champion Springboks.
It’s not the worst place to be, and this first win on South African soil will give Warren Gatland and his coaching staff plenty of material to occupy minds going forward, while also offering enough glimpses of quality to suggest they are making decent progress as a squad.
A Lions team which saw 14 changes from last week’s win over Japan, including four Lions debutants in the starting team and four further tour rookies on the bench, can be forgiven for looking a little rusty.
They at least made their attacking intent clear from the start, and with 30 seconds on the clock Finn Russell was trying to find Louis Rees-Zammit with a cross-field kick, the Scotland out-half just overcooking his pass.
The Welsh wing was in for his first try in a Lions shirt just three minutes later, a fine move which included nice touches from Russell and Jamie George ending with Chris Harris chipping through for Rees-Zammit, who had the simple task of collecting the bouncing ball and sailing through to open the scoring as Sibhale Maxwane got a close-up look at the sparkling clean heels of the 20-year-old’s white boots.
The hosts had barely caught their breath by the time Hamish Watson pounced for a second, the Scotland flanker showing good power to force his way under the posts after collecting Courtney Lawes’ short-range pass, with Farrell slotting his second conversion with ease.
With less than 10 minutes played, it already looked like a case of damage limitation for the Sigma Lions.
Russell, a player who too often flirts between magic and madness, started brightly, showcasing that touch of attacking flair which will be his point of difference in the battle for the 10 shirt and carrying flat to the gainline, sucking in defenders and opening up the space around him.
The Sigma Lions took the opposite approach, trying to gain a foothold in the game by getting their power game going. An early lineout maul gained little ground in the Lions’ 22, but at the second attempt the hosts managed to get within touching distance of the tryline.
Hill and Watson led a determined defensive effort and snuffed out the initial danger. A series of scrums followed, the Sigma Lions eventually working the ball the breadth of the pitch and back again without gaining any forward momentum.
An illegal Kyle Sickler tackle allowed the Sigma Lions to reset and go again, but the tourists weathered the storm, won the turnover and came away unscathed from their first real defensive test in South Africa.
In possession, Gatland’s team continued to build on some of the attacking patterns on display against Japan seven days ago, running smart decoy lines, mixing up their lineout play well and looking to vary their point of attack.
Owen Farrell, an intriguing choice at 12, looked to step in at first receiver and offered a totally different type of threat to Bundee Aki, who held the shirt last week, although his influence on the game waned as the game wore on, with Harris comfortably the more impressive of the new centre pairing.
At times the visitors simply had the look of a team not used to each other’s company. Wyn Jones failed to read a Jonny Hill pass and saw the ball spill loose. Farrell knocked on under little pressure. Scrums stuttered and collapsed. It all became a little slow and awkward.
When it clicked, the gulf in class was striking, with Watson outstanding at times. Shortly after the half-hour mark George sent another lineout throw deep and found Farrell, the Saracens man swivelling and quickly playing in Ali Price, who sliced through a gap between two Sigma Lions defenders for an easy finish.
A well-worked Sigma Lions counter-attack then saw Farrell miss a tackle and Stuart Hogg caught in two minds, with EW Viljoen and Burger Odendaal gaining good ground before the ball was reworked wide to powerful flanker Vincent Tshituka, who had plenty of space to attack as the Lions found themselves stretched, with Jordan Hendrikse clipping over the extras.
The British and Irish Lions looked to have responded with a fourth try just before the hooter sounded, some good footwork from the lively Hogg getting the Lions into a good position before Wyn Jones provided the finishing touch. However, after a quick TMO check referee AJ Jacobs crossed off the score due to an illegal cleanout by Courtney Lawes.
Gatland’s mind will have flashed back to last week’s performance, where his team started brightly before falling off the pace a little, with three of their four tries coming in the first half at Murrayfield.
With that in mind the half-time message would have been to keep the intensity up in the second period.
Josh Adams added the fourth try within a minute of the restart, combining well with Price to break the Sigma Lions’ line.
The hosts responded within two minutes, Russell getting caught out before Maxwane pulled clear of Rees-Zammit.
That score kick-started some truly chaotic passages of play. Jamie George somehow found himself just yards away from an inviting tryline, but did his best man-with-soap impression as the ball skipped out of his fingers. Farrell looked to collect another deep lineout but Sibusiso Sangweni sniped in and stole possession, going the length of the field only to be denied by a superb last-ditch Hogg tackle.
The control and calmness that the Lions will need against the Springboks was nowhere to be seen.
They will however take confidence from their smooth lineout work, with George throwing well and Itoje looking dominant in the air.
And as the game opened up, Russell was invited to dip into his bag of tricks. He hit Adams with a lovely crossfield for the winger’s second try of the evening, Farrell’s conversion extending the Lions’ lead to 21 points.
Both sides emptied their benches, and with one of his first touches replacement scrum-half Gareth Davies had a try to his name, highlighting the impact he can offer.
Adams then sealed his hattrick, putting in a strong tackle and getting back to his feet to take the ball and tear down that left wing. His fourth followed soon after, with Adams once against unchallenged after a solid maul and well-executed skip-pass from Elliot Daly. Farrell, who reverted to out-half as Aki was introduced, nailed his eighth conversion.
Gatland will be happy his team were able to pull clear in the second half, with the impact of his bench also pleasing. Iain Henderson showed good hands in possession while Daly injected some much-needed tempo.
There is plenty of room for improvement, but the Lions can feel satisfied with their work as they look to build towards the bigger challenges that lie ahead.
Sigma Lions scorers:
Tries: Vincent Tshituka, Sibhale Maxwane
Conversions: Jordan Hendrikse [2 from 2]
British & Irish Lions scorers:
Tries: Louis Rees-Zammit, Hamish Watson, Ali Price, Josh Adams (4), Gareth Davies.
Conversions: Owen Farrell [8 from 8]
SIGMA LIONS: EW Viljoen; Jamba Ulengo, Manuel Rass, Burger Odendaal (Fred Zeilinga, 55), Rabz Maxwane; Jordan Hendrikse (Dan Kriel, 66), Dillon Smit (Morne van den Berg, 38); Nathan McBeth (Sti Sithole, 55), PJ Botha (Jaco Visagie, 55), Ruan Dreyer (Carlu Sadie, 55), Ruben Schoeman, Reinhard Nothnagel (Emmanuel Tshituka, 69), Sbusiso Sangweni (Ruhan Straeuli, 66), Vincent Tshituka, Francke Horn (captain).
BRITISH & IRISH LIONS: Stuart Hogg (captain); Louis Rees-Zammit, Chris Harris (Bundee Aki, 69), Owen Farrell, Josh Adams; Finn Russell (Elliot Daly, 59), Ali Price (Gareth Davies, 60); Wyn Jones (Mako Vunipola, 55), Jamie George (Luke Cowan-Dickie, 69), Kyle Sinckler (Zander Fagerson, 55); Maro Itoje (Iain Henderson, 69), Jonny Hill; Courtney Lawes, Hamish Watson, Taulupe Faletau (Sam Simmonds, 55).
Referee: AJ Jacobs (SAR)
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