South Africa v British & Irish Lions, 31 July

First topic message reminder :

                                  
SOUTH AFRICA v BRITISH & IRISH LIONS
Saturday 31 July
KO: 18:00 SAST / 17:00 UK / 20:00 Dubai  
Cape Town Stadium (Newlands), Cape Town
Sky Sports Main Event

Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Nic Berry (Australia), Mathieu Raynal (France)
TMO: Marius Jonker ( )

TEAMS:

SOUTH AFRICA:
15 – Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz) – 63 caps, 60 pts (12t)
14 – Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse) – 15 caps, 40 pts (8t)
13 – Lukhanyo Am (Cell C Sharks) – 16 caps, 15 pts (3t)
12 – Damian de Allende (Munster) – 48 caps, 30 pts (6t)
11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Cell C Sharks) – 15 caps, 70 pts (14t)
10 – Handré Pollard (vice-captain, Montpellier) – 50 caps, 477pts (6t, 78c, 93p, 4d)
09 – Faf de Klerk (Sale Sharks) – 31 caps, 25 pts (5t)

08 – Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers) – 1 cap, 0 pts
07 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (DHL Stormers) – 57 caps, 25 pts (5t)
06 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Cell C Sharks) – 52 caps, 30 pts (6t)
05 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 41 caps, 5pts (1t)
04 – Eben Etzebeth (Toulon) – 87 caps, 15 pts (3t)
03 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 40 caps, 5pts (1t)
02 – Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers) – 38 caps, 40 pts (8t)
01 – Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers) – 49 caps, 5pts (1t)

16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 35 caps, 30 pts (6t)
17 – Trevor Nyakane (Vodacom Bulls) – 44 caps, 5 pts (1t)
18 – Vincent Koch (Saracens) – 21 caps, 0 pts
19 – Lood de Jager (Sale Sharks) – 46 caps, 25 pts (5t)
20 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 3 caps, 0 pts
21 – Kwagga Smith (Yamaha Júbilo) – 8 caps, 5 pts (1t)
22 – Herschel Jantjies (DHL Stormers) – 12 caps, 25 pts (5t)
23 – Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 8 caps, 5pts (1t)

BRITISH & IRISH LIONS:
15. Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs, Scotland) #783
14. Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, England) #816
13. Chris Harris (Gloucester Rugby, Scotland) #844
12. Robbie Henshaw (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) #824
11. Duhan van der Merwe (Worcester Warriors, Scotland) #841
10. Dan Biggar (Northampton Saints, Wales) #821
09. Conor Murray (Munster Rugby, Ireland) #790

01. Mako Vunipola (Saracens, England) #787
02. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, England) #851
03. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) #818
04. Maro Itoje (Saracens, England) #825
05. Alun Wyn Jones – captain (Ospreys, Wales) #761
06. Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, England) #826
07. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, England) #853
08. Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) #839

16. Ken Owens (Scarlets, Wales) #829
17. Rory Sutherland (Worcester Warriors, Scotland) #840
18. Kyle Sinckler (Bristol Bears, England) #814
19. Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby, Ireland) #838
20. Taulupe Faletau (Bath Rugby, Wales) #779
21. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland) #843
22. Owen Farrell (Saracens, England) #780
23. Elliot Daly (Saracens, England) #822

PREVIEW:

Poor ref.

Ref not really understanding the scrum very well ...

Collapse2005 wrote:

takethelongroad wrote:Lions had the better of boks last week at 60mins, now reached that in the first half! Murray slow at breakdown and kicking too long so far, let’s see how it opens up

Murray was late at about 1 breakdown, he has been one of the Lions better players. Most his kicks have been contestable too and put the Boks under lots of pressure.

Maybe more than one!

Scrum pen that led to SA try went the wrong way and now several non-pens for Lions scrum when on top

BigGee wrote:

Collapse2005 wrote:

takethelongroad wrote:Lions had the better of boks last week at 60mins, now reached that in the first half! Murray slow at breakdown and kicking too long so far, let’s see how it opens up

Murray was late at about 1 breakdown, he has been one of the Lions better players. Most his kicks have been contestable too and put the Boks under lots of pressure.

Maybe more than one!

Doubt it

Lions kicks have been contestable. We just haven't been winning them enough.

Why the up and unders so much? We should be going to the corner.

Rugby Fan wrote:Lions licks have been contestable. We just haven't been winning them enough.

Bring on Liam Williams

Collapse2005 wrote:

Rugby Fan wrote:Lions licks have been contestable. We just haven't been winning them enough.

Bring on Liam Williams

That was my thought after 20 minutes.

Kicking just not working this half

Need to change back 3. Wish we had Williams

I’ll echo worldwide sentiments in saying that Itoje is absolutely brilliant. A bit unfair of on Beirne but just goes to show how well others are playing to keep him out.

Just dumb from Watson.

Nyakane on for Kitshoff.

Faletau on for Conan.

Big substitutions.

The occasion aside this is some puke rugby. Terrible advert for the sport

Another good try, Lions are letting this slip away

Good try again

Or maybe not!

It’s definitely a try

Not a try ...

Lol. You have to day Erasmus' rant has worked.

It's definitely SA day!

Poor officiating has cost the Lions this test. Another poor decision there.

Ridiculous officiating, truly bent.

Not a chance that was a try

Well that was a try for me

Hogg hasn’t been great in the air has he.

Who's doing the video this week?

The Lions had to sack and concede the penalty earlier there.

Cracking lineout and try for the Boks.

Lood coming on has made a difference so far. He's an absolutely brilliant second row, him being just short of match fitness has hurt the Boks.

Collapse2005 wrote:Well that was a try for me

Not in control - you can't just put downward pressure on when the ball starts off in the air - it was a knock on.

Lions can't keep kicking possession away. They need some magic to win this one.

Heaf wrote:

Collapse2005 wrote:Well that was a try for me

Not in control - you can't just put downward pressure on when the ball starts off in the air - it was a knock on.

No it wasn’t, his palm was still on the ball when he touched it down. Tries are scored like that all day long.

Looked like the side of his arm to me - not his palm ..

Wtf. Another red for SA.

Heaf wrote:

Collapse2005 wrote:Well that was a try for me

Not in control - you can't just put downward pressure on when the ball starts off in the air - it was a knock on.

Control is irrelevant. Downward pressure is all that matters. The ball doesn't leave his arm and touch the ground for it to be a knock on. It's in contact with his hand the whole time from him touching it and gets clear downward pressure. Good try.

F****** awful this from the Lions.

Downward pressure if the ball is on the ground - if off the ground need to have control ..

Well this game has cemented my opinion of Gatland and his tactics

What a load of crap

Sutherland takes Anthony Watson's crown for dumbest penalty of the second half. Sutherland is too good a player to let himself down like that. So frustrating.

king_carlos wrote:

Heaf wrote:

Collapse2005 wrote:Well that was a try for me

Not in control - you can't just put downward pressure on when the ball starts off in the air - it was a knock on.

Control is irrelevant. Downward pressure is all that matters. The ball doesn't leave his arm and touch the ground for it to be a knock on. It's in contact with his hand the whole time from him touching it and gets clear downward pressure. Good try.

Simply not true, clear separation from the hand.

It has been a poor second half from the Lions, and any composure they had disappeared when South Africa scored the second try. The errors have been steadily creeping up.

This test is gone and the Lions will need to regroup for the third test.

Ultimately the officiating has won South Africa this game because they should have been playing the majority of the match with 14, but the referee failed to do his job.

R!skysports wrote:Well this game has cemented my opinion  of Gatland and his tactics

What a load of crap

Two Scottish players haven’t done well mind. 3 if you include VDM.

It really hasn’t been a good day for Scottish players, VDM and Hogg both poor and Sutherland has continued the trend. Not that they’re the only ones to underperform today. Fully expect both VDM and Hogg to be dropped after this

Can’t wait to see Jaco Johans breakdown after this game

only listening but sounds rubbish

Lions pack looked fine while Itoje and Lawes were matched up 2 vs 2 against the SA locks. Once SA went to 3 second rows against our two, we've been in trouble. Could do with getting Itoje and Lawes some help next week, not sure who else could be brought in though

only listening but sounds like more rubbish

Heaf wrote:Downward pressure if the ball is on the ground - if off the ground need to have control ..

Pretty sure not. The ball can touch down using downward pressure from the hand, arm, or any part of the front of a players body from waist to neck.

I've not reffed for 3 years so may have missed a law change but to my knowledge control has never been in the laws. "It's simply been repeated over and over again by incompetent commentators until it's become part of rugby lore rather than rugby law", a favourite quote from a former international ref I first heard during a reffing course I did back in the day.

If there's been a change to the laws and I'm wrong then I'd be genuinely interested in being pointed to it as the laws are all available online.

Soul Requiem wrote:

king_carlos wrote:

Heaf wrote:

Collapse2005 wrote:Well that was a try for me

Not in control - you can't just put downward pressure on when the ball starts off in the air - it was a knock on.

Control is irrelevant. Downward pressure is all that matters. The ball doesn't leave his arm and touch the ground for it to be a knock on. It's in contact with his hand the whole time from him touching it and gets clear downward pressure. Good try.

Simply not true, clear separation from the hand.

The ball is in touch with both hands, leaves his right hand but never leaves the the left arm for me. Good decision.

6-1 to the Lions in penalties conceded in this half. That's the story, a mirror of the first test. Watson's had a terrible test.

French referee for the third test.

O’Keefe is shocking fair play. First time I seen him was Wales vs Australia. At a time when Aus needed no help at all to beat us, he did his best for them. NZ simply cannot put out a good ref.