The British & Irish Lions are aiming to emulate the tourists of 1974 and 1997 by winning a Test series in South Africa.
The Lions defeated the Springboks 22-17 in a controversial 1st Test last weekend, which has led to verbals from both camps, their media, pundits, and supporters – expect fireworks today.
- The British & Irish Lions came from 12-3 down at half-time in the opening Test to win the series opener by five points.
- A win this weekend for the British & Irish Lions will seal the test series, while a win for South Africa this weekend will level the series, making the third test next Saturday the decider.
- By winning the first Test last week the British & Irish Lions have won back-to-back tests against South Africa after the Lions won the third Test in 2009 (28-9) in Johannesburg.
- British & Irish Lions Head Coach Warren Gatland has made three changes to his starting XV and South Africa’s Springboks have also made three changes to their starting XV.
- Boks loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff plays his 50th Test match.
- Scottish centre Chris Harris (#844) makes his Lions debut in Cape Town.
- Skipper Alun Wyn Jones extends his Lions record to 11 Tests in a row in the modern era.
- Sir Ian McGeechan’s feat of winning a Test series in South Africa, 24 years ago, could be matched by Gatland.
Match detail
We are waiting for the kick-off.
1.00: PEEEEP! We are underway at the Cape Town Stadium for this crucial series-defining second Test. Beware of the wounded Springbok, but this Lions side is up to the task.
2.00: South Africa wins a penalty on the halfway line, Handre Pollard kicks to the 22 to set up an attacking lineout.
3.00: South Africa wins a scrum after a powerful driving maul. After the ref awards the scrum, the players get involved in a scuffle – this is going to be intense.
4.00: SA wins a penalty for offsides by Tadhg Furlong, it is in front of the poles.
5.00: PENALTY! Pollard opens the scoring. 3-0
7.00: Makazole Mapimpi tackles Dan Biggar in the air, the Lions flyhalf kicks to the Boks’ 22.
8.00: Willie Le Roux cannot hold on to Biggar’s bomb gifting the opposition an attacking scrum near the Springboks’ line.
10.00: Jasper Wiese is pinged for not using his arms in a tackle on Luke Cowan-Dickie, Biggar calls for the tee.
11.00: PENALTY! Biggar levels. 3-3
13.00: South Africa goes 13 phases before Am kicks a grubber to the opposition, who wins the penalty after Mapimpi does not release the tackled player.
15.00: Boks are pinged for sacking the lineout-maul illegally. Biggar boots his team into Bok territory. Back-to-back penalties by the Boks put them under pressure on their 22.
16.00: Cheslin Kolbe and Lukhanyo Am both penalised for offsides, Biggar calls for the tee.
17.00: PENALTY! Biggar puts his team in front. 3-6
18.00: A superb kick-chase by the Boks earns the hosts a penalty after the Springboks counter-ruck and win a penalty. Stuart Hogg found himself isolated.
19.00: MISS! Pollard pulls his kick just wide. 3-6
21.00: The British & Irish Lions game-plan is to kick behind the Springboks, using dink-kicks behind and bombs on the back three.
22.00: Pieter-Steph du Toit leaves the field after being injured in a late tackle by Duhan van der Merwe early in the game. That is bad for the hosts.
23.00: YELLOW CARD! Cheslin Kolbe is kicked in the ankle by Duhan van der Merwe, who is off for 10 minutes. 3-6
25.00: YELLOW CARD! Courtney Lawes steals Mbongeni Mbonambi’s lineout, then a scuffle breaks out after Kolbe takes out Connor Murray in the air. 3-6
28.00: Stuart Hogg’s chip-kick runs into touch after a nine-phase Lions attack.
29.00: Good defence by the Boks after Maro Itoje won another Bok throw in the lineout, but nothing came from the attack.
30.00: Mapimpi, who switched wings, wins the turnover penalty at the ruck. Pollard will take a shot from near the touchline.
32.00: PENALTY! Pollard makes no mistake. 6-6
34.00: Alun Wyn Jones turns down a shot at goal for an attacking lineout on the Boks’ 5m. Eben Etzebeth makes the steal, but the Boks carry the ball into their in-goal area for a Lions scrum.
36.00: NO TRY! Robbie Henshaw gathers a chip-kick but loses the ball as he tries to ground the ball; good work by Siya Kolisi. Mbonambi gave away a penalty for a no-arms tackle, so Biggar will take a shot. 6-6
36.00: PENALTY! Biggar puts his side back in front. 6-9
38.00: Hogg loses Murray’s Gary Owen forward, scrum Boks inside their half.
40.00: Boks get another scrum, the hooter sounds, and Faf de Klerk boots to touch.
The halftime score was Springboks 6 British & Irish Lions 9
41.00: PEEEEP! We are back underway in Cape Town.
44.00: South Africa starts the second stanza well, looking to lay down a marker.
45.00: TRY! Mapimpi gathers Pollard’s pin-point chip-kick and beats three defenders to score his 15th try in 16 Tests. Mapimpi cut inside Anthony Watson, slipped Stuart Hogg’s weak tackle before carrying Courtney Lawes over the whitewash. 11-9
46.00: MISS! Pollard cannot convert. 11-6
50.00: Lions have a chance to take the lead.
52.00: MISS! Biggar cannot take advantage. 11-9
56.00: Lions still using the high ball to move down the field, they are looking to tap the ball back rather than catch it, which is not really working.
59.00: Boks win a penalty after some pressure by the Lions. Both teams making the changes in the front row.
61.00: TRY! Lukhanyo Am wins the chase to De Klerk’s lob-kick, and dots down near the dead-ball line, and after a long TMO review, Am gets his fourth Test score. 16-9
62.00: CONVERSION! Pollard adds the extras. 18-9
65.00: A wonderful raking kick by Owen Farrell rolls out inside the Springboks’ 22.
69.00: It’s all Boks at the minute, the Lions look weary.
71.00: PENALTY! Pollard increases the lead. 21-9
75.00: Pollard calls for the tee.
76.00: PENALTY! Game over as Pollard knocks the kick over. 24-9
80.00: Pollard adds another. 27-9
FULL TIME
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The final score is South Africa 27 (6) British & Irish Lions 9 (9)
Scorers
South Africa
Tries – Mapimpi, Am
Pen – Pollard (5)
Con – Pollard
Drop –
Cards – Kolbe (Yellow, 25′)
British & Irish Lions
Tries –
Pen – Biggar (3)
Con –
Drop –
Cards – Van der Merwe (Yellow, 23′)
Match Officials
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR)
Assistant Referee 1: Nic Berry (RA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mathieu Raynal (FFR)
TMO: Marius Jonker (SARU)
Teams
South Africa
15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Francois de Klerk, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siyamthanda Kolisi (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff (50th Test)
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Trevor Nyakane 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Lodewyk de Jager, 20 Marco Van Staden, 21 Albertus Smith, 22 Herschel Jantjies, 23 Damian Willemse
British & Irish Lions
15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Chris Harris (debut), 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (captain), 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Tadhg Beirne, 20 Taulupe Faletau, 21 Ali Price, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Elliot Daly
