Teams:
Golden Lions:Ludik, Killian, Boshoff, La Grange, Noble, Pretorious, Vermaak; Sephaka, Wepener, Muller, Mockford, Stolz, Grobbelaar, Van der Merwe, Alberts
B&I Lions: Kearney, Bowe, O'Driscoll, Roberts, Monye, S Jones, Phillips; Jenkins, Mears, Vickery, Hines, AW Jones, Croft, Wallace, Heaslip
Referee: C Joubert
6.05pm: Yes, well, this fixture has certainly captured the world's imagination. Zero mails in my inbox and only slightly more fans in Ellis Park ...
6.08pm: Out march the B&I Lions lead by O'Driscoll, whose would-be ferocious intimidating demeanour is let down by the fact that he's carrying a cuddly toy he may have won in a carnival.
6.12pm: Oh, how nice, the hosts have decided to turn up. Only two minutes after the scheduled kick-off time, the Golden Lions deign to take to the pitch. They are greeted by loud cheers from the tens of fans.
1 min: It's off ... and within seconds Stephen Jones commits fumlbes a long Noble kick to concede the knock-on.
2 mins: The hosts collapse the first scrum, giving Kearney the chance to whack a penalty into touch in Golden territory.
3 mins: Mears flings the first line-out to an opponent, but a Golden break is quickly repelled and the Lions win back possession and begin foraging for openings around mid-way.
5 mins: The Lions are showing a pleasing willingness to run, with O'Driscoll, Monye and Phillips all making good ground in a promising raid. It's brought to an end by a humungous tackle on Stephen Jones, who knocks on. It's been an unhappy start for the Welshman.
7 mins: Wallace attempts to charge down a Ludik kick but the South African gets it away just in time ... before his leg is mangled by the Irishman, whose momentum carried him through. That looks seriously nasty and very unfortunate. Both men are down hurt, Ludik looking in real pain. "It seems that this tour will be make or break for the Lions idea, and surely the fact that people are not bothering to attend the games is seriously damaging," blubs Kevin Murphy "One might be able to see through it if it were in Australia or New Zealand but this SA tour has been hyped up no end in the host country never mind the British media. Unless the British and Irish Lions win this series, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that it will be the last."
8 mins: Wallace is back on his feet, but Ludik is still receiving attention and looks like he's goign to be stretchered off. "I'll boer you later with my opinions on the game," admits Alan Whyte.
TRY! Goldies 0-5 Lions (Roberts)
8 mins: After some nifty picking and pushing by the Lions, Phillips flips the ball wide to O'Driscoll, who sidesteps Boshoff and then offloads splendidly to Roberts to crash over from five metres. Joens adds the conversion.
9 mins: Nice chip by Stephen Jones followed by a great take by Roberts. As the Lions roar forward, Killian finally manages to arrest the charge jsut short of the try line.
TRY! (O'Driscoll 10')
10 mins: Lions are comfortably on top and that was a try made in Ireland, Bowe bursting over the gain line in the 22 before offloading to O'Driscoll, who swept under the posts. Easy conversion for Jones.
13 mins: Stephen Jones bangs over a penalty from 23 metres. 17-0 to the Lions. "Interesting to see the hosts concede a scrum penalty in the second minute," reckons Lee Carroll. "Does this mean the ref's going to bother policing the front row for this game? If so, and if it becomes a trend, we might have a shout at this series as I think our scrum and the return of the rolling maul are our two biggest assets. If the refs decide to get all Australian on us then we're doomed."
16 mins: The Goldies breach the Lions 22 for the first time and immediately win a penalty after an opponents refused to roll away. They bang the ball into touch five metres short and take - and win - the line-out. After goign through three phases, they win another penalty, Vickery infringing at the breakdown. Pretorious elects to slot it between the posts from 12 metres.
18 mins: The Lions apply immediate pressure from the restart, forcing a rash kicked clearance from the Goldies. But in his over-eagerness to take a quick line-out, Monye flings the ball forward.
19 mins: Monye atones for his error with a mighty break and burst into the 22. In the tackle he releases to Roberts, who is tackled by Alberts as he barges over the line and attempts a touchdown. The video ref says it's "inconclusive" as to whether he grounded the ball so it's a five-metre scrum for the Lions.
20 mins: Desperate defence from the Goldies, who concede a penalty. Rather than go for the scrum from five metres - which would almost definitely have resulted in a try, such is the Lions dominance in the scrum - O'Driscoll instructs Jones to knock it between the posts. "In response to Kevin Murphy," bellows James Ruskin. "It's far too early to suggest this Lions tour
might be the last. Roll on the three Tests."
TRY! (Monye 21')
21 mins: Tremendous enterprise and fluidity from the Lions. They flipped the ball around brilliantly in midfield before Mears combined with Roberts to pierce the Goldies' defence and passed to Bowe, who scampered forward before hurling it across to Monye for a simple dash across the line.
25 mins: The Goldies attempt to inject a bit of vim into the attacking but the Lions' defence holds firms, eventually forcing the concession of a penalty. They boot the ball upfield, win the line-out and the Lions rumbled towards another try ...
28 mins: The intensity of the Lions has been very impressive so far, their cohesion and handling too. And their intent has been satisfying aswell, their determination to move it quickly through the back row is being executed with speed and imagination. Hurrah!
TRY! (Croft 31')
31 mins: Another excellet try. The excellent Phillips was the instigator, but clever contributions from Bowe and O'Driscoll followed before Croft collected the ball and slalomed into the end zone from 22 metres out.
34 mins: It's relentless from the Lions. After more fine work by Bowe, Croft cuts the defence apart with another jagged turn of pace, but then he passes forward jsut short of another try.
35 mins: O'Driscoll forces La Grange back with a humungous tackle on mid-way.
TRY! (Frolick 37')
38 mins: The Lions were got on the hop there. They got too tight at a Goldies' line-out and Monye was caught out when the hosts swept across the field at speed, thanks notably to a nice dart by Grobbelaar and a sweet offload by Boshoff, Frolick, on as a replacement for Ludik, sprinted across the line.
40 mins: TRY! A Lion is taken out in the line-out, so Stephen Jones smashes a penalty into the corner. Croft wins Mears' throw easily and the Lions eventually recycle it. The Goldies intervene illegally and O'Driscoll opts to drive for the line. They eventually force their way over, and Roberts touches down. Jones slaps over the conversion to complete a fine half by the tourists.
Half-time: Various folks want to know the identity of the Lions replacements, so here goes: Ford, Murray, Ferris, Powell, Ellis, Hook and Williams. The best performers on the pitch so far? O'Driscoll, Roberts, Phillips, Bowe and Croft, I reckon.
41 mins: The stadium seems to have filled up for the start of the second half - perhaps folks were waiting it in a shebeen beforehand and then decided the Lions' performance was good enough to actually turn up for? "We're playing really well, the handling is excellent, we're getting quick ball, the backs are playing really welll and so are the forwards," enthuses Paul O'Connell to Sky. Can't say fairer than that.
43 mins: The Lions win a turn over in mid-way and Roberts slashes through before having to offload to Monye, who does likewise to AW Jones. A try seems certain until AW Jones is tackled and then gives away a penalty for holding on to the ball after being tackled. "Jamie Roberts looks like a lock at 12 for the tests - Gordon who?" trumpets Kevin Murphy. "Hopefully Ferris gets a run out now at 6. Croft has done enough to point out that he shouldn't have been left out in the first place. Quinlan would never have scored that try."
TRY! (Bowe 47')
47 mins: That was a beautiful score, characterised by smart decoy running and wonderful quick handling, notably by O'Driscoll and Jones. Bowe had plenty to do when he received the ball eight metres short of the line, and scroched into the corner. Jones knocked over the conversion.
50 mins: Kearney gathers a deep Goldies kick and chucks it sideways to Bowe. The Ospreys man hurtles forward but then commits his first mistake of the match, passing forward when attempting to release O'Driscoll.
53 mins: That was brilliabt by Phillips ... until the last bit! He simply shrugged off two tackles as he bounded 40 metres forward. But then he got a bit flash and rather than simply throw the ball to one of the overlapping Lions, he opted for a needless kick, and botched it.
54 mins: Jones slams a penalty deep into the 22, setting the platform for an attacking line-out.
56 mins: A mighty tackle on Hook gives the home crowd something to get excited about, a triggers some minor skirmishes among various players. The officials congregate and award a penalty to the Goldies for an unspecified offence by Hines. The Goldies boot the ball towards the Lions' 22.
57 mins: Frolick regrets catchign a pass after he's pummeled by Monye. "Golden Lions?" splutters Gary Naylor. "Are they paunchy ex-greats like Gareth, Phil and Willie-John taking time off from the after dinner circuit to go head-to-head with the likes of Phil Vickery? No wonder they're getting a damn good thrashing."
TRY! (Bowe 59') An erratic pass by Alberts is intercepted on half-way by Bowe, who chugs under the posts. Jones converts.
60 mins: O'Driscoll replaced by Williams. Ellis on for Stephen Jones, Hook going to fly-half.
62 mins: A pause as various Goldies receive treatment.
63 mins: The Goldies are pounding away at the Lions defence on the 22 but making no ground. They then cede possession to the Lions with a knock-on.
65 mins: A Lions break comes to an end when Hook chip takes a freakish bounce and wrongfoots the attackers. And on that note, Powell comes on for Croft.
66 mins: A top tackle by Ellis forces a knock-on just outside the Goldies 22. The home team infringe at the scrum so Hook can knock a penalty into the corner.
67 mins: Ford, who has just come on, over-throws a line-out, relieving the pressure on the Goldies. That's the first line-out that's gone wrong for the Lions today. Mind you, the pressure hasn't really been relieved at all as the Goldies made no progress in their attempt to run the ball out of their own 22. Finally they smack it into touch., still deep in their own half.
TRY! (Monye 69')
69 mins: It all came from a Lions line-out on the 22. They won it at the back and swept across field, Bowe again showing rapid hands before Monye sprinted in from 16 metres. Hook slots the conversion over from in front of the posts.
72 mins: The Lions are currently playing with 14 men, as Monye has left the field to receive attention for an injury, seemingly to his knee.
TRY! (Hook 74')
74 mins: Another interception try. A Pretorious pass was well anticipated on half-way by Hook, who cantered into the end zone and then converted his own try.
77 mins: The home side are barging forward in search of some dignity. Initially repelled by a fine Heaslip tackle, they eventually scramble over, Cleaver seemingly touching down amid a pile of bodies, though the referee seeks confirmation from the video ref. And if he sees the same replay that Sky are showing, he can't possibly award the try because there is no evidence that the ball even crossed the line, let alone got touched down. Sure enough, no try is awarded, and the Goldies are penalised for propelling themselves forward illegally.
TRY! (Ferris 80')
80 mins: After wonderful defence from the Lions, featuring a brutal tackle by Jenkins, Ferris picks the ball up and bounds over the try line from 60 metres out!
Full-time: A comprehensive ten-try victory for the Lions, who brimmed with intensity, cohesion and enterprise. Not one player performed below-par, and several excelled, notably Phillips, Bowe, O'Driscoll, Croft, Stephen Jones, Jenkins, and, well, all the others.
