British and Irish Lions vs South Africa LIVE: First test result and reaction in Cape Town
The Lions overcame a 12-3 deficit against the Springboks with a strong second-half display
Dan Biggar’s boot proved the difference as the British & Irish Lions came from behind to beat South Africa 22-17 in an attritional first test in Cape Town on Saturday.
Biggar kicked four penalties and a conversion for a 14-point personal tally to take the Lions to victory after they were 12-3 down at halftime but came back strongly in the second half.
Luke Cowan-Dickie scored the Lions‘ only try with Owen Farrell adding a key late penalty while the Springboks’ points came from a Faf de Klerk try and four first-half penalties from Handre Pollard.
The two teams meet again next Saturday in the second test, also at the Cape Town Stadium.
Maro Itoje won the Player of the Match, telling Sky Sports: “These moments don’t come that often in your career. It’s a real privilege to where this jersey and to win as well is special.
“We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We want to come out and do the business next week. We had to tidy up our discipline. We did in the second half and we had the mental fortitude to see it through.”
South Africa 0-0 Lions, 13 minutes
The Lions kick away but have notably kept the ball infield as much as possible so far, backing their fitness. South Africa bring it back with interest and a lazy Lions tackler is pinged for failing to roll away. Siya Kolisi points at the posts - Handre Pollard is handed the tee...
South Africa 0-0 Lions, 12 minutes
There are dairy farms that do less churning than this scrum at the moment with a loose Cape Town Stadium surface struggling under the combined mass of two big sets of eight. A free-kick to the South Africans, this time, tapped quickly as they play with tempo. Not for long, though, with a little poke down into the corner well dealt with by Anthony Watson.
South Africa 0-0 Lions, 10 minutes
A first look at the scrum as we approach the ten minutes mark and another statement from South Africa. They win a scrum penalty as Ox Nche and Trevor Nyakane win their battles with Tadhg Furlong and Rory Sutherland respectively. Advantage is over after South Africa advance the ball but a hack through from the Lions rolls dead, and South Africa will be content enough with another scrum inside the Lions half.
South Africa 0-0 Lions, 9 minutes
Nearly for the Lions! It’s a nice inital move off the top of the lineout with Tom Curry finding England teammate Anthony Watson in a blindspot, but Watson can’t quite take advantage as he runs into a South African back. To the left now and there is that South African blitz defence, Cheslin Kolbe millimetres from an intercept but leaving space beyond for Duhan van der Merwe, who gleefully races away.
But it will be for nil for Dan Biggar’s slap pass on to van der Merwe was a couple of yards forward.
South Africa 0-0 Lions, 7 minutes
It’s been a fairly frantic start, too, with little ball out of play time. Finally the Lions do get a chance to settle down with a lineout and they maul superbly, Pieter-Steph du Toit doing his best Chad Le Clos impression to move around the side of it and illegally bring it to floor. The Lions kick the penalty down into the South Africa half.
South Africa 0-0 Lions, 6 minutes
I’d have Maro Itoje and Faf de Klerk as two of the leading pests around the ruck in world rugby. The two are very different players, obviously, and it is the former harrassing the latter to force a turnover on this occasion, disrupting a ruck with his long limbs.
South Africa 0-0 Lions, 5 minutes
A scrappy enough start with neither side yet settling in to a spell of consistent possession. Trevor Nyakane finds a gap after a clever quick shift on from Bongi Mbonambi, and their front-row colleague Ox Nche’s midfield rumble is powerful, but a pair of Lions combine to drag him down for limited progress.
South Africa 0-0 Lions, 4 minutes
BOOMFA! That is some hit from Lukhanyo Am! Elliot Daly is fading to the outside on Dan Biggar’s miss pass but is met immediately by Am, who provides him with some free chiropracty and invites his teammates to drive over the top of a prone Daly. That is a seriously physical statement of a tackle.
South Africa 0-0 Lions, 3 minutes
That’s better from Curry, chasing hard after a high kick after Duhan van der Merwe had passed his first test under the high ball. Curry forces the South Africans into touch.
South Africa 0-0 Lions, 1 minute
That’s a telling start. South Africa clear to just outside of their own 22 and the Lions lineout is in good working order. Their first option is to take to the sky - Dan Biggar produces a rocket that falls back from the outer reaches of the atmospher on to the head of Cheslin Kolbe...
Who fumbles under pressure from Duhan van der Merwe! The referee’s whistle blows...and back we will come as Tom Curry is offside. A nervous moment for Kolbe, though, and were it not for Curry’s over-eagerness the Lions might have profited with a score.
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