Lions pegged back in last gasp drama
EMERGING SPRINGBOKS (13) vs. BRITISH LIONS (13)
BRITISH and Irish Lions head coach Ian McGeechan blamed atrocious conditions after seeing his side denied victory by a last-minute touchline conversion.
The Lions looked to have sewn up the tour match when replacement fly-half James Hook slotted a penalty three minutes from time.
That sent them 13-6 ahead, following a first-half try from full-back Keith Earls and two penalties from Ireland colleague Ronan O’Gara.
But with the last attack of the game Emerging Springboks winger Danwel Demas went over in the corner of the sodden Cape Town surface. And Willem de Waal snatched a draw with a superb 30-metre conversion.
It spoiled an otherwise impressive defensive display from the Lions, who will look to level the series in Saturday’s second Test against South Africa, but McGeechan refused to dwell on the disappointment.
“It was a potential banana skin – a game we had to get out of,” he said. “It was a million miles from what we want at the weekend. The conditions were always going to be a leveller. Not a lot of rugby was played there. It was a very strong defensive performance, if you take the last minute away.”
Meanwhile, South Africa have made just one change for the second Test, with flanker Schalk Burger returning from injury in place of Heinrich Brussow.
South Africa team for second Test: F Steyn; JP Pietersen, A Jacobs, J de Villiers, B Habana; R Pienaar, F du Preez; T Mtawarira, B du Plessis, J Smit, B Botha, V Matfield, S Burger, J Smith, P Spies. Replacements: C Ralepell, D Carstens, A Bekker, D Rossouw, H Brussow, J Fourie, M Steyn.