Result: Golden Lions 10-74 Lions
 | 606: DEBATE |
To get involved use 606 or text us your views & comments on 81111. (Not all contributions can be used) RFU Minder: "That was an awesome display of power rugby. Keep up the effort Lions!" 2000: Not sure about you, but that looked pretty good for where I was sitting. Ten tries, and it's difficult to single players out. But Jamie Roberts sparkled, Tommy Bowe seemed to be involved in everything, Mike Phillips and Stephen Jones looked like a Test pairing at half-back, and I liked the cut of Tom Croft's jib. All in all the Golden Lions were chewed up whole - let's hope the tourists don't get indigestion against the Free State Cheetahs on Saturday... thanks for reading and goodbye... 80 mins - TRY Golden Lions 10-74 Lions
There's the hooter, Lions turn the ball over... no, the hosts win it back, but Stephen Ferris comes over all over Pierre Spies, nicks the ball at the breakdown and canters over from just inside his own half, showing Killian a clean pair of hooves. That's the icing on top, and Hook's conversion is the cherry. 78 mins: Not sure Shane Williams has had a touch yet. One thing's for sure, that is one seriously bad haircut he's got, he looks like he's got leaf rot. Of course, you can continue with the Lions chat on 5 Live from 2000 BST - Matt Dawson joined by Brian Moore and Scott Gibbs. 76 mins: The Golden Lions go on a charge down the right flank, and after some dogged defensive work from the Lions, the hosts think Reynecke, the Saracens-bound hooker, has burrowed over. But the man upstairs thinks otherwise - no try. Penalty to the Lions for playing the ball on the ground, and Hook cocks the hammer and clears. Good scrapping from the Lions there, that really showed good team-spirit. 74 mins - TRY Golden Lions 10-67 Lions
And another - the hosts chasing the game, Pretorius attempting the Hollywood pass and Hook steaming through like a choo-choo and scoring an interception try. He hangs about under the posts and pops over the extras. 71 mins: Gethin Jenkins receives treatment, but he's OK. Monye's off, so the Lions are playing with 14 men. Maybe that is a bit more than cramp? 68 mins - TRY Golden Lions 10-60 Lions
Andy Powell with the line-out take, and that's some silky work in midfield - it's Bowe again with gossamer fingers, slipping the ball inside to Monye, who pins his ears back and skims over the line for his second try. Hook with the extras. Monye looks like he's done a hamstring, but I think it's just a spot of cramp. 66 mins: The hosts looking to run it from under their posts, but they're being stalked into a corner. The Lions appear to have a centre partnership of Phillips and Bowe at the moment, can't see that being replicated in the first Test. 65 mins: Andy Powell is on for Croft, but it only looks precautionary. Killian looks for the break and that's a tenacious little tackle from Ellis, forcing Killian to knock-on. Ford on for Mears now at hooker, and Euan Murray on for Vickery in the boiler room. All three making Lions debuts, but this game has rather had the life sucked out of it by all these changes. Wyn Jones barking the orders now with O'Driscoll off. 64 mins: Croft is down with an injury to his left leg, but it doesn't look serious. Hooky stretches his legs and chips ahead, but the ball lands on its end and bounces back over his head. 62 mins: Harry Ellis gets his first taste in the red shirt, and Stephen Jones goes off. All change out there, I can only assume Phillips has been switched to centre, but I'll let you know. 60 mins: O'Driscoll is off, Shane Williams is on. No injury problems for the skipper, he's giggling as he slumps down on the bench. Tommy Bowe has been switched to outside-centre. 57 mins - TRY Golden Lions 10-53 Lions
Monye with a big hit on his opposite man. Fumbled by Grobbelaar - it's been a few years since I've heard that phrase - and from the resulting play, with the hosts trying to force things, Thomas Bowe intercepts and touches down unopposed. A good night for the Irishman, and it's like shelling peas for Stephen Jones. That's the seventh try from the tourists tonight. 54 mins: Twenty-two thousand in tonight, which is a little disappointing after all the big chat at the weekend. O'Driscoll on the scissors, and his link-up play with Jones has been telepathic. Hook with his first touch, and he's absolutely marmalised in the tackle. Check that man for tyre tracks. Vickery getting punchy - no need for that, although I'm sure he'll tell you there was... 52 mins: Phillips with a Bentley moment - that's hot knife through butter stuff from the Wales number nine, and he also shows deceptive strength to shrug off Noble. I won't mention the grubber. Croft making a nuisance of himself again at the line-out, and Hook is on for the mightily impressive Roberts in the centres. 49 mins: Stephen Jones is another man tattooing in his name onto the Test team-sheet tonight - rocksolid in every department. He's no Phil Bennett, but then Phil Bennett was about eight stone when soggy. Well-worked move from the Golden Lions, but the last pass from Killian is forward. 47 mins - TRY Golden Lions 10-46 Lions
Hesitant from Phillips from the back of a ruck, but he rescues the situation, pirouetting through a gap before forcing the pass. Wepener trundles clear like an angry rhino, but O'Driscoll makes the tackle. Oh, that's a peach, that really is a peach - Jones loops round O'Driscoll, the ball is shipped right, Kearney punches into the line like a solid left hook, and Jones is there again with the killer flipped pass for Bowe to score in the corner. Jones kicks his seventh from eight. Stephen Ferris is on for David Wallace - his first taste of Lions action. 44 mins: There's defence coach Shaun Edwards muttering away to himself - not sure about that Golden Lions try, he's probably still upset about Mal Meninga's try against Great Britain back in 1990. Roberts surging into the line again - that's magnificent lines - Monye takes the pass before passing inside to Wyn Jones, who's tackled 10 metres short. 43 mins: Nice step from Phillips and an inside pass to Alun Wyn Jones, but the Wales lock spills it. But there's Croft at the line-out again, and this time it's a steal. 41 mins: Players are back out, probably unaware that the Lions have already racked up the highest score in this fixture. Jones with the kick-off, Van der Merwe with the towering take. Just a reminder that 5 Live have got live coverage of this second half. ObiRed on 606: "I'm still not convinced Monye will be a Test starter but he's definitely in the mix. He's a very good impact player. Shaun Edwards will probably cane him for that defensive mistake but at the same time he took his try with aplomb." captain slow on 606: "That back-row looks brilliant, and Phillips and Jones have been very, very good. Kearney and Byrne will have some battle for the 15 jersey for the Tests!" 40 mins - TRY Golden Lions 10-39 Lions
The Lions back-line got a little caught out there - big gaps behind the pack, with Monye charging in and missing his man. Croft again at the line-out - could he be pencilled into the Test side after this game? - and here's Heaslip with the one-handed pick-up. The hooter sounds, the ball goes right, and Roberts bulldozes over for his second try. Sharp work from Phillips at the breakdown, and a beautifully-timed killer pass from Jones. Those lovely, lovely Welsh boys... Jones makes the extras and that, my friends, was just the tonic. 36 mins - TRY Golden Lions 10-32 Lions
Number eight Alberts goes on the charge, holding off Roberts with one hand and offloading out of the other. Nice touch. And there's a score! A couple of holes punched in the Lions back-line, the ball eventually goes right and sub full-back Mike Frolick is over on the right flank. The kick from Pretorius bends left, before correcting itself and swooping over. 32 mins: Another attacking wave from the Lions, with Bowe instrumental again. And Kearney darts for the gap, but is plugged. 29 mins - TRY Golden Lions 3-32 Lions
Kearney slashes into the line like a flashing scimitar through silk, before Jones goes on a chunter before being brought down. Oh, that's tremendous stuff. Phillips misses out Jones going right, and it's Bowe, who's having a belter, who pops up at the breakdown before flipping inside to Croft. And off goes the England flanker, stepping inside winger Killian before stretching away like Shergar to score under the posts. A little bit embarrassing for the winger, but that was thoroughbred. Jones kicks the extras. 25 mins: The locals have got the raving hump, but there's no point in booing there, that was a high tackle on Roberts. Wyn Jones with the line-out take, but the Golden Lions gee the crowd up a little courtesy of a turnover and a 50 metre clearance. Wyn Jones again at the line-out - he and Croft with three takes each so far. 23 mins: The Lions looking rock-solid at scrum-time, but they're all doing themselves some favours out there. Kearney gives it some hammer from under his posts, that's a best of a clearance. 21 mins - TRY Golden Lions 3-25 Lions
Cracking move from the Lions and another try - Croft with the line-out take, before Vickery and Mears go on the burst. Roberts punches through, before Monye collects the ball on the left wing and canters home from 30 yards out. Jones misses the conversion. 17 mins - PENALTY Golden Lions 3-20 Lions
Phillips dummies and goes, but he's held up just short of the line. You can see why this Golden Lions side shipped more than 400 points in this year's Super 14, let's just say that brick wall-wise, there's not much cement in their defence. Penalty Lions, and Jones pings it over. Merciless. 16 mins: Monye trying to be too clever with the quick line-out, that was well-forward. But here he is making amends - the Lions ship it right and Monye bursts into the line. He's hauled down, but manages to slip it to Roberts, who just manages to ground it despite the attentions of Willem Alberts. No it isn't, the man upstairs says it was inconclusive. 14 mins PENALTY Golden Lions 3-17 Lions
The Golden Lions at last get into the Lions half, but Killian is smothered by Roberts. But that's a penalty for the hosts - naughty from Vickery at the breakdown, although he looked to be on his feet - and Andre Pretorius slots from under the posts. 12 mins - PENALTY Golden Lions 0-17 Lions
It's dropped from the restart and the Lions win a penalty. Jones unerring from 30 metres out. 10 mins - TRY Golden Lions 0-14 Lions
The tourists are purring like a Lion at a water hole. The ball goes left from the base of a scrum, Bowe enters the line at pace, and O'Driscoll is on his shoulder to score under the posts. Jones kicks the extras. Rob Kearney it was on the decoy, it's all looking razor sharp. 9 mins: Jones with a very naughty little chip over the top and I think that was Roberts who collected it. Jones grubbers again for Bowe, and this time to ball dribbles into touch a few metres out. The Welsh boys in the back-line playing well. 6 mins - TRY Golden Lions 0-7 Lions
This time Mears hits his man at the line-out... and we've got a score. The ball is shipped right from the back of a ruck, O'Driscoll steps off his right and leaves Boshoff clawing at thin air, and he offloads for Jamie Roberts to tumble over. Good move that, Jones makes the extras. KrisP via text on 81111: "Croft and Heaslip to create havoc. Drinking dandeLION and burdock, nursing a dislocated shoulder and revising for last exam. Right hand ready to F5." 5 mins: Ludik and Wallace are both on the deck after a charge-down from the Ireland back-row. That looks nasty, the full-back's right peg bending round Wallace's chest like a willow in a gale. Think Wallace is just winded... yep, he's up and about. Louis Ludik, though, will be taken off on the cart. 4 mins: Boshoff with a big hit on Jones after a little gallop from Jenkins and a half-break from Phillips. Bit of shape from the Lions though, which is better. 3 mins: Monye gets his first touch and goes on a gallop before flipping inside, but the ball goes to ground. O'Driscoll with an aimless floated pass, but Monye mops up again and offloads. 2 mins: The Lions - I'll be calling them that, the hosts I'll call the Golden Lions - earn a penalty as the hosts collapse the scrum, and Jones clears. Not a great start from the Lions - first line-out stolen, although the eventually pinch it back. 1 mins: It's Andre Pretorius with the kick-off... and Phllips with the box kick. Big leather back from Dusty Noble and that's not a great start for Stephen Jones on the back-pedal - knock-on... 1812: The hosts have stopped picking their backsides, here they come. And they look more pumped. Prepare for lift-off... 1809: Here come the teams, we'll have some play in a minute. Need some fireworks early on, a few big hits to spark this tour... Nathan Hines doing plenty of chatting in the huddle, and Monye's having a natter as well. The home side keeping them waiting... 1805: All the talk's been of a 60,000 sell-out at Ellis Park, but there appear to be about 60 in at the moment. Some Golden Lions cheerleaders! Give me a Hammerette any day. Earthy, very earthy... when the Lions were last in South Africa, Nathan Hines was playing rugby league for North Sydney Bears. I think we can safely say that he's the first player from Wagga Wagga to play for the Lions. Riaanf31 via text on 81111: "The Golden Lions might have leaked like a rusty bucket, but they've been playing together for an entire competition. If they get off to good start this could be another tricky encounter for BOD and his Lions. Golden Lions to be up after first half, but B&I Lions to win by five." 1759: The hosts have some pedigree against the Lions, with five wins over them, but none for 41 years. Tour manager Gerald Davies was in that Lions line-up back in 1968. Look out for Ethienne Reynecke and Ernst Joubert in the Golden Lions side - they'll both be in the black and red of Saracens next season. Boyce the Lion via text: "Alright Ben. Hope Sir Phil of Vickery has a great game tonight and puts a marker down for the number three jersey. Come on Lions. Rooooar." 1754: This Golden Lions side have a couple of Springboks in their number, but neither of them are in the starting XV. Full-back Earl Rose is parked on the bench, while utility back Jaque Fourie is rested. Prop Lawrence Sephaka is a former Springbok, however, while fly-half Andre Pretorius, the man who slotted four drop-goals when the Saffers beat England at Twickenham in 2006, is also in the side. One thing's for sure, these lads won't roll over. AllyintheUS on 606: "Hoping Hines gets stuck in nice and early and lays down a marker. I think he and Bakkies Botha could have fun getting better acquainted come Test time!" 1746: The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that we're not using auto-refresh this evening. After a summit meeting, it has been decided that, however magnificent it looks on your screen, it's a bit too fiddly for rugby and rather compromises our ability to tell you what's happening on the park. It's like trying to play the trumpet and frisbee at the same time. So dust off your Homer Simpson woodpecker, that F5 key's going to take a hammering. 1743: An all-Welsh half-back pairing today, and a decent performance from Phillips and Jones could see their names pencilled - albeit lightly - in for that first Test on 20 June. This Golden Lions outfit finished 12th in the Super 14, out of, erm, 14. More points conceded than anyone else, they're leakier than a rusty old spit bucket. Aeywajp on 606: "Would echo your point about Monye, really interested to see how he does. If he can perform then there should be some real competition in that back three." 1738: Brian O'Driscoll skippering the side tonight, it's his first game in a Lions shirt since that fateful night in Christchurch four years ago. Plenty of players with a point to prove tonight, and the one I'll be keeping a particular eye on is England winger Ugo Monye. John Bentley scored that 70m try against the Gauteng Lions (their former name) back in 1997, and he's been tipping Ugo to do the same. 1730: Hello. Big game for the Lions tonight in Johannesburg - pretty awful in their opener on Saturday, here's their chance to prove it was just a case of ring rust. Follow all the action here, and there's full second-half coverage on 5 Live. Oh, and you can pile in with some chat on 606, or via text on 81111.
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