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Down to the Wire for 3rd And Final Crunch Test Between Springboks and Lions in Cape Town

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The 3rd and final crunch test match between the Springboks and British & Irish Lions kicked off on Saturday 7 August 2021 at 18h00 in Cape Town. The Springboks were led out by Centre Damian de Allende on the occasion of his 50th Test.

Dan Biggar got proceedings underway for the Lions. An early penalty for the Lions saw Biggar fail. Penalty was awarded in a kickable position to the Lions after Handre Pollard knocked a high ball forward, before Jasper Wiese played it in an off-side position.

The Springboks first penalty came from a high tackle by Bundee Aki on Jasper Wiese allowing the Springboks to set up a lineout inside Lions territory. However, they squandered a golden attacking chance as Bongi Mbonambi’s lineout throw is not straight.

Finally after 10 minutes of the kick-a-thon the Springboks won a kickable penalty after a promising build-up near the Lions 22m area. Pollard stepped up to take the shot. Springboks 3-0 Lions.

Sad times for the Lions after the 10th minute as Dan Biggar was carted off the park with a suspected ankle injury. His replacement, Finn Russell after not playing in four-and-a-half weeks came on for the last 69 minutes of the deciding Lions Test.

Good omen for the Lions as they won a scrum penalty off of Steven Kitshoff and Finn Russell slotted the easy shot at goal. Springboks 3-3 Lions.

The Lions were the first to score after opting for a lineout from a penalty allowing Ken Owens to crash over after a powerful maul. The conversion by Finn Russel was good putting the Lions 7 points ahead. Springboks 3-10 Lions.

Anxious times for the Springboks as they struggled to get momentum going – losing two lineouts and conceding more ball than a hooker in a …. with Finn Russel confusing the Springboks with his box of tricks. Maybe there is something to be said for TOO MUCH analysis of the opposition?

Going into 34 minutes in the first half the Springboks and Lions had both conceded 6 penalties each.

Penalty number 6 for the Lions came from a massive Springbok scrum to win a kickable penalty which Pollard lined up for a successful and relatively easy shot at goal to bring up his 500 Test match rugby points. Springboks 6-10 Lions.

Frustration for the fans as on the stroke of half-time, TMO Marius Jonker was asked to check for potential foul play against Bok No 8 Jasper Wiese. No foul play after a 5 minute slow replay thousand angle consideration. Wiese had taken out a Lions player on the ground, but the officials determined that it was a legitimate clean-out.

Half-Time: Springboks 6-10 Lions

At the halfway mark the Lions dominated the numbers with 69% possession and 74% territory along with making 133 meters on attack in contrast to the Springboks 66 meters. The springboks dominated tackles with 86 vs Lions 23 tackles.

Handre Pollard started the second half proceedings.

46 minutes in Pollard (Pullard?) missed a penalty kick from in front of the posts and around 40 meters out to leave the Lions still 4 points ahead.

Pressure from the Springboks saw the Lions not enter SA Territory in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Pollard misses his second penalty attempt in the second half – 6 points lie in tatters on the ground.

Kolbe crashed over for a try in the 56th minute after a brilliant break from Willie le Roux inside his own half who off-loaded to Kolbe to finish in remarkable fashion, and the inevitable happened, AGAIN, as the ref and TMO look at the action from every angle almost as if they were looking for a reason to not award a try. Springboks 11-10 Lions.

Pollard lined up the conversion and got his Mojo back to be successful. Springboks 13-10 Lions.

22 Minutes after the start of the second half a scrum penalty for the Lions allowed them to exit their own half. Wiese was caught off-side just inside SA territory and the Lions lined up a shot at goal from Finn Russel who slotted the penalty from 45 meters out to level the scores. Springboks 13-13 Lions.

Great sigh of relief from the fans as Mornet Steyn replaced Pollard at flyhalf and lined his first penalty up for the Spingboks from close to the touchline. Success. Springboks 16-13 Lions.

With 11 minutes to go the Lions eschew 3 points and kick for the lineout. Vunipola’s attempt to score was held up and they went back for a Lions scrum. No Luck.

With 6 minutes to go Finn Russel stepped up for a shot at penalty after Lukhanyo Am was caught off-side aiming for a draw. Springboks 16-16 Lions.

With two minutes to go Mornet Steyn got his chance to ONCE AGAIN kick a winning match and series penalty as in 2009. And he did it – Springboks 19-16 Lions.

SUMMARY:

Two late penalties from Morne Steyn saw South Africa sneak a 19-16 win and seal a 2-1 series triumph over the British & Irish Lions.

Steyn had also kicked the winning penalty to win the 2009 series and was again the Boks’ hero, displaying nerves of steel when it really mattered. He replaced Handre Pollard in the final quarter with the game on a knife edge.

The Boks scored a thrilling second half try through winger and man-of-the-match Cheslin Kolbe before Steyn’s boot proved pivotal late on.

Kolbe’s try was reminiscent of his score against England in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final. He received a pass from fullback Willie le Roux on a Bok attack into the Lions half and beat two Lions players, Liam Williams and Luke Cowan-Dickie, to dot down.

The Lions had led 10-6 at half-time but struggled to get out of their own half in the second stanza.

The visitors scored a first half try through hooker Ken Owens but will rue not taking a few shots at goal.

RUN OF PLAY:

10 Minutes: Dan Biggar off with a suspected ankle injury, Finn Russel on for Biggar.
11 Minutes: Handre Pollard Penalty. Springboks 3-0 Lions.
12 Minutes: Springbok flank Franco Mostert off to the blood-bin and temporarily replaced by Kwagga Smith.
15 Minutes: Finn Russel Penalty. Springboks 3-3 Lions.
18 Minutes: Try from Ken Owens. Springboks 3-8 Lions.
19 Minutes: Conversion by Fin Russell. Springboks 3-10 Lions.
34 Minutes: Handre Pollard Penalty. Springboks 6-10 Lions
MILESTONE: Handre Pollard now boasts 500 points in Test rugby.
43 Minutes: Wyn Jones off replaced by Mako Vunipola.
52 Minutes: Kwagga Smith on for Lood de Jager.
55 Minutes: Springbok subs: Van Staden, Marx, Nyakane and Koch.
56 Minutes: Chelsin Kolbe scores for the Springboks. Springboks 11-10 Lions.
58 Minutes: Pollard converts. Springboks 13-10 Lions.
60 Minutes: Nyakane on for Kitshoff.
62 Minutes: Finn Russel Penalty. Springboks 13-13 Lions.
63 Minutes: Jantjies on for Reinach at scrumhalf.
64 Minutes: Mornet Steyn on for Pollard.
66 Minutes: Steyn Penalty. Springboks 16-13 Lions.
74 Minutes: Finn Russel Penalty. Springboks 16-16 Lions.
78 Minutes: Mornet Steyn Penalty. Springboks 19-16 Lions.

Springboks
Third and Final Test won by Springboks 19-16

SCORERS:

Springboks 19 (6): Tries – Cheslin Kolbe; Conversions – Handre Pollard; Penalties – Handre Pollard (2), Mornet Steyn (2); Drop Goals –

Lions 16 (10): Tries – Ken Owens; Conversions – Finn Russel; Penalties – Finn Russel (3); Drop Goals –

TEAMS:

Springboks: Kitshoff Steven, Mbonambi Bongi, Malherbe Frans, Etzebeth Eben, de Jager Lodewyk, Kolisi Siya, Mostert Franco, Wiese Jasper, Reinach Cobus, Pollard Handre, Mapimpi Makazole, de Allende Damian, Am Lukhanyo, Kolbe Cheslin, Le Roux Willie

Replacements: Marx Malcolm, Nyakane Trevor, Koch Vincent, van Staden Marco, Smith Kwagga, Jantjies Elton, Steyn Frans, Willemse Damian

British & Irish Lions: Jones Wyn, Owens Ken, Furlong Tadhg, Itoje Maro, Jones Alun Wyn, Lawes Courtney, Curry Tom, Conan Jack, Price Ali, Biggar Dan, van der Merwe Duhan, Aki Bundee, Henshaw Robbie, Adams Josh, Williams Liam

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie Luke, Vunipola Mako, Sinckler Kyle, Beard Adam, Simmonds Sam, Murray Conor, Russell Finn, Daly Elliot

PACK WEIGHTS:

  • SA – 920 kilograms
  • Lions – 920 kilograms

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.