ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
REGISTER
LOGIN
ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
Wednesday Jul 14, 2021

First loss for the Lions on tour as they go down to strong SA 'A' side

The British and Irish Lions have lost 17-13 to a very strong South Africa ‘A’ side in a fiery contest in Cape Town.

ADVERTISEMENT

Early pressure saw the South African side, made up mostly of experienced Springboks and Rugby World Cup winners, claim all the momentum and score first thanks to a Sbu Nkosi try down the left wing.

Cheslin Kolbe then fed captain Lukhanyo Am for after a dazzling piece of play, allowing the home side to go into the half with a 17-3 lead, despite losing two players to the sin bin after immense pressure from the visitors.

Faf de Klerk went off for a no-arms tackle then minutes later Marco van Staden also left the field after repeated infringements.

The Lions came back strong with a try to Wyn Jones and two penalties from Owen Farrell, but narrowly missed out on a few moments that could have gone their way, namely with Louis Rees-Zammit in the corner.

Veteran Morne Steyn, the hero from the 2009 series, missed late opportunities from the tee and with a drop goal, but South Africa ‘A’ had done enough to hold on despite the Lions pressure.

“I’m proud of the team, we now know where we are at, and we can analyse where we need to improve,” home captain Am said.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We are happy with the performance and excited to be back in the mix. There is lots to build on. It was a tough outing, we certainly took some knocks and bruises.”

Lions coach Warren Gatland spoke of positivity despite the result.

“I’m proud of the boys coming back from 17-3 down. These Test matches are going to be a real arm wrestle and that’s what it was this evening, that’s as close to a Test match as you’re going to get,” said Gatland.

The Lions next face the Stormers before commencing the official three-Test series.

Scorers:

South Africa ‘A’ 17 (17) – Tries: Sbu Nkosi, Lukhanyo Am. Conversions: Morne Steyn (2). Penalty goal: Steyn.

ADVERTISEMENT

British & Irish Lions 13 (3) – Try: Wyn Jones. Conversion Owen Farrell. Penalty goals: Owen Farrell (2).

 

Related Articles

  • 34 WEEKS AGO

    Ellis Genge puts on his boxing gloves ready...

  • 34 WEEKS AGO

    Crazy scenes as player deliberately kicks...

  • 34 WEEKS AGO

    RFU make decision on transgender players...



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 2 DAYS AGO

    Incredible Camera Work During URC Clash Shows Rugby Player’s Athleticism

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Heart Breaking Six Nations Ending For Italy As Scotland Score Long Range Try

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Montpellier Number Eight Zach Mercer Outlandish Attacking Skill

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Damian Penaud Pulls Off a "van der Merwe" in Outrageous French Try

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Ireland Winger James Lowe With World Class Finish In Titanic Battle With France

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 4 HOURS AGO

    Close Up Angle Of La Rochelle Secondrow Will Skelton Laying Into Opposition

  • 1 DAY AGO

    Referee Luke Pearce Gets Hit Hard In Harlequins vs Saracens Clash

  • 2 DAYS AGO

    Owen Farrell On The Receiving End Of An Illegal Hit

  • 5 DAYS AGO

    Refereeing Legend Nigel Owens Breaks Down Freddie Steward Incident

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    England and Ireland fans express disappointment in grand slam refereeing decisions

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Ardie Savea Moment Of Magic In Super Rugby Aotearoa

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    'Armchair athletes' berate Arundell's seriously impressive bench press

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Worcester Warriors - The End

  • 8 WEEKS AGO

    Sevens magic as 'headed' try brings stadium to its feet

  • 10 WEEKS AGO

    Almost 35,000 have now signed petition to reverse new grassroots tackle laws

View All

Funnies

  • 5 DAYS AGO

    Whole Irish squad turn up to teammates parents house for drinking session

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Jonathan Sexton Fantastic Comeback Caught On Ref Mic

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Hilarious Footage Of English Players Post Leg Day Workout

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Mack Hansen leaves viewers in stitches with hilarious post-match interview mistake

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    A Look Back At Rugby’s Greatest Ever Film

View All

Amateur

  • 11 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 11 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 34 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

  • 34 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 35 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Youth and experience combine in an effort to repeat Six Nations upset

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Wales international releases emotional statement after being offered contract that isn’t enough to feed family

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Ardie Savea causes outrage with ‘throat slitting’ gesture

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Smith, Marchant and Murley released from England camp to take part in 'Big Game 14'

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Mack Hansen leaves viewers in stitches with hilarious post-match interview mistake

View All