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Billy Stickland/INPHO
AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: British and Irish Lions storm past the Stormers

The Lions were way too strong for the Stormers in their final warm-up game before the Test series begins.

Good afternoon and welcome to today’s liveblog as the Lions take on the Stormers in Cape Town. Murray Kinsella will be providing you with the match report from today’s game following the final whistle. But you can keep in touch with the action here and please give us your opinions in the comments section below as the game unfolds.

It is a particularly key day for a number of Irish players, not least Robbie Henshaw, who is returning to the team after a hamstring injury. Henshaw has been in superb form this season and seemed a shoo-in to start the Test series prior to his injury. A good display today will put him back in pole position. Kick off is just under 25 minutes away.

Never mind what happens on the field, there is sure to be no shortage of drama off it, especially between Rassie Erasmus and Warren Gatland. The Lions coach is keeping the pot boiling.

Here are the teams for today’s game.

Stormers (v Lions):

15. Sergeal Petersen

14. Seabelo Senatla

13. Rikus Pretorius

12. Dan du Plessis

11. Edwill van der Merwe

10. Tim Swiel

9. Godlen Masimla

1. Leon Lyons

2. JJ Kotze

3. Neethling Fouche

4. Ernst van Rhyn (captain)

5. JD Schickerling

6. Nama Xaba

7. Johan du Toit

8. Evan Roos

Replacements from:

16. Andre-Hugo Venter

17. Kwenzo Blose

18. Sazi Sandi

19. Justin Basson

20. Marcel Theunissen

21. Thomas Bursey

22. Abner van Reenen

23. Juan de Jongh

24. Lee-Marvin Mazibuko

25. Niel Otto

26. Leolin Zas

27. Cornel Smit.

Lions (v Stormers):

15. Stuart Hogg (Exeter, Scotland) (captain)

14. Josh Adams (Cardiff, Wales) 

13. Elliot Daly (Saracens, England) 

12. Robbie Henshaw (Leinster, Ireland) 

11. Duhan van der Merwe (Worcester, Scotland) 

10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, England)

9. Ali Price (Glasgow, Scotland) 

1. Rory Sutherland (Worcester, Scotland) 

2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter, England) 

3. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster, Ireland) 

4. Adam Beard (Ospreys, Wales) 

5. Jonny Hill (Exeter, England) 

6. Tadhg Beirne (Munster, Ireland) 

7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh, Scotland) 

8. Jack Conan (Leinster, Ireland) 

Replacements:

16. Jamie George (Saracens, England) 

17. Mako Vunipola (Saracens, England) 

18. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow, Scotland) 

19. Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys, Wales) 

20. Sam Simmonds (Exeter, England) 

21. Gareth Davies (Scarlets, Wales) 

22. Chris Harris (Gloucester, Scotland) 

23. Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester, Wales)

We are off and running.

Early touch for Marcus Smith. He finds touch.

1 minute – Untidy start. First scrum of the day coming up.

3 minutes – First scrum collapses; reset ordered by ref, Wayne Barnes. After a second shove, Barnes awards a free kick to the Stormers.

5 minutes Finally the ball comes out; and finally we saw some rugby, a bit of phase-building from the Lions and then a box-kick. Average start to this game, it has to be said.

stuart-hogg-leads-the-team-out-with-mascot-bil Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO

7 minutes – Josh Adams kicks ahead after a loose pass from Tim Swiel but the ball goes into touch. From the line-out, Robbie Henshaw shows some decent handling skills but off the following phase, the Lions concede a penalty. Stormers then lose possession; some kick tennis ensues before Jonny Hill gathers the ball in midfield. Marcus Smith kicks into space inside the Stormers 22; Sergeal Petersen clears, the Lions build some phases – Furlong, Hogg, Beirne, carry and the Lions lose it after eight phases.

12 minutes Fine take by Jonny Hill at tail of the line-out. Penalty to the Lions, deep inside their own 22.

13 minutes Hill gathers again from his second successive line-out; Jack Conan then wins a penalty for the Lions. Elliot Daly kicks it into the Stormers’ 22.

15 minutes This time it is Beirne who collects from Cowan-Dickie’s throw. Stormers penalised for an offside; Smith kicks to the corner; Lions five metres from the line; this time it is Adam Beard who gathers the throw; Hill, Conan and Furlong make impacts; Lions win another penalty. They tap and go and concede a penalty for a double movement from Cowan-Dickie.

17 minutes Tim Swiel finds a good touch from the penalty, bringing the Stormers to half-way; Rikus Pretorius and Sergeal Petersen make good carries but Henshaw then rips possession away.

19 minutes PENALTY STORMERS (Swiel)

Controlled attacking from the Stormers results in a penalty – well within kickable distance. They aren’t pretty to watch but they are difficult to play against on the evidence so far. Swiel kicks the penalty and the Stormers lead 3-0

Stormers 3-0 Lions

24 minutes Josh Adams charges at Stormers defence off an attacking scrum and coughs up possession. Kind of sums up the Lions performance so far.

28 minutes TRY LIONS (Beard) After Hogg kicks to touch – poorly it must be said – the Stormers try to build up a few phases. They fail, Beirne with the turnover. Smith counter-attacks, Furlong then makes a line break, Beirne gets involved, then Adams and Adam Beard appears from nowhere to score. Finally, some decent rugby from the Lions.

CONVERSION LIONS (SMITH) Stormers 3-7 Lions

32 minutes – Lions win scrum penalty; Smith kicks to the corner.

luke-cowan-dickie-is-tackled-by-evan-roos-and-nama-xaba Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

34 minutes TRY LIONS (Cowan-Dickie)

34 minutes – Stormers 3-14 Lions

Lions were patient there; the maul had been partly halted but Cowan-Dickie arrived to spin through a gap and power his way to the line; Smith converts, Lions are in control now after a slow start.

38 minutes – Great kick from Henshaw after yet another Beirne steal. Play moves inside the Stormers 22.

39 minutes – Lions nearly score a try there as Henshaw finds a gap in the Stormers 22 but his attempted pass to Conan is slightly off-target and the hosts avoid coughing up a third try.

Half-time Stormers 3-19 British and Irish Lions

(TRY, Lions HILL)

HALF-TIME Stormers 3-21 Lions

Correction to my earlier post; it is 21-3 at half-time rather than 19-3, following Smith’s conversion.

Good third try by the Lions, Hill finishes it after some decent play by Price and Beard; the Stormers cannot cope with the Lions tempo once they get up a head of steam. Beard’s handling was good in the run-up to the Hill try, as was Hogg’s.

So a poor opening quarter preceded a much better performance from the Lions thereafter; three tries, Adam Beard and Jonny Hill – the two locks – getting one each, Luke Cowan Dickie scoring the other one, gives the Lions a healthy half-time lead.

Robbie Henshaw has certainly done his Test prospects no harm while Tadhgs (Furlong and Beirne) have to be starters at this stage. For what it is worth, Jack Conan has to be contention as well. He has had a good tour so far. Other big winners from that first half are Cowan-Dickie and scrum-half, Ali Price.

It’s hard to see how the Stormers will get back into this; it’s now a case of who will get into Gatland’s Test team.

So, second half gets underway and the Lions have a 21-3 lead.

41 minutes Sergeal Petersen makes a half-break; but the Lions win possession back; Furlong and Conan show good hands, Hamish Watson carries but then Smith kicks poorly and the pressure eases.

Have to say, Cowan-Dickie and Hill are impressive operators. While few expect Hill to make it into the starting XV next week, he is an outside chance for a place in the squad. Cowan-Dickie or Jamie George? Let us know who you think should start.

44 minutes Some awful play there; Daly’s kick was aimless; Sergeal Petersen passes straight into touch.

47 minutes Penalty to the Stormers after a Lions offside. They are going to the corner

Free kick given to the Lions – fine work by Beirne; good movement, good jump results in JJ Kotze, the Stormers hooker, panicking.

49 minutes – Yet more good work from Tadhg Beirne; a fine carry and good hands from the Munster and Ireland player. Gatland has to chalk his name beside that six slot for next week.

TRY LIONS (JACK CONAN) 51 MINUTES

51 minutes Stormers 3-28 Lions

Jack Conan made a lovely break for the line there – showing pace as well as intelligence to exploit the gap. Could he be on Gatland’s radar for next weekend? He must be in with a shout.

52 minutes  Alun Wyn Jones is about to enter the fray, three weeks after dislocating his shoulder.

54 minutes Furlong heads off to be replaced by Zander Fagerson. AWJ is also on for Adam Beard.

Right, I’m chalking in Furlong, Henderson, Beirne, Murray and Henshaw into the starting XV for next week. Wouldn’t be surprised if Conan and Aki sneak in as well but for now, we’re going Henshaw at 12, Harris at 13. Conan has been brilliant but competition for the No8 shirt is serious.

58 minutes – Evan Roos and Josh Adams exchange pleasantries. Henshaw subbed off; he still has to start next week.

Josh Adams has also gone off to be replaced by Louis Rees Zammit.

59 minutes – Beirne nearly scores; held up just shy of the line.

62 minutes TRY LIONS (Beirne)

The TMO will check if there was a forward pass from Hogg.

Try chalked off for a forward pass – no try for Beirne this time – but that move was excellent, the best of the match; some decent width from the Lions, then the interchange of passes from forwards to backs reminded you of the ’97 Lions. It was van der Merwe, rather than Hogg, who delivered the forward pass.

68minutes TRY LIONS (Fagerson)

Great play from the Lions; Mako Vunipola makes a break; Smith gets involved, likewise van der Merwe and Jamie George; line-out goes to the Stormers, Adams steals it as the ball is thrown over the top.

Lions then go on the charge and Zander Fagerson gets over from close range.

69 minutes (CONVERSION LIONS, Smith)

Stormers 3-35 Lions

Five tries from five forwards; five conversions from Smith.

71 minutes Mako Vunipola making a fine impact since he came on. TMO and Wayne Barnes now examining Cornel Smit’s tackle on the England and Saracens prop.

No action taken.

Marcus Smith just played a bit of GAA there; nice sidestep and sideways kick pass.

73 minutes REES LIGHTNING

TRY LIONS (Louis Rees Zammit)

74 minutes Stormers 3-42 Lions

That try was all about Marcus Smith; the kid is class. His goosestep saw him sneak away from the Stormers defence inside his own 22 – and just as he gets to half-way he senses Rees-Zammit outside him. The pass is perfect, so is the finish. Smith then converts.

77 minutes TRY LIONS (Simmonds)

79 minutes – Stormers 3-49 Lions

Beirne was the creator; then Stuart Hogg, van der Merwe also contributed. Simmonds finished it off. Smith converts.

FULL-TIME: Stormers 3-49 British and Irish Lions

Results versus provincial sides on this tour

Sigma Lions 14-56 British and Irish Lions

Sharks 7-54 British and Irish Lions

Sharks 31-71 British and Irish Lions

Stormers 3-49 British and Irish Lions

You don’t even need to comment. Those scorelines are damning.

Stormers 3-49 British and Irish Lions

So, after a sluggish opening, the Lions took off, scoring seven converted tries. All the Irish players had great games, especially Tadhg Beirne who is set to start next week. Jack Conan is also in contention to do so, as is Bundee Aki, but if you were a betting person, you would be reluctant to make any call on the 12 or 8 jerseys at this stage.

Nonetheless, it would be no surprise to see five Irishmen in the team for next Saturday’s opening test. The bottom line is they have found form on this tour; you can’t say that about everyone else. The contest between Jamie George and Luke Cowan-Dickie will be a fascinating one as well.

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