Lions will rue missed opportunity

South Africa 26 British and Irish Lions 21: A bizarre, rollercoaster, frenetic, breathtaking match had threatened to be a humiliation for the tourists and almost became one of the most remarkable comebacks in Lions' history.

Despite recovering from a 26-7 deficit early in the second half, after this first Test defeat in a sub-50,000, less than full Absa Stadium, the Lions face a task of Everest-like proportions in having to win both of the two remaining tests in the high veldt.

Hence, they will regard this as a missed opportunity. They were destroyed in the scrum, where ‘The Beast’, local cult hero Tendai Mtawarira (who bench presses 28 stone) did a number on Phil Vickery. The damage went beyond the tangible effect of six points on the scoreboard, and only after Adam Jones steadied things did the Lions outscore the Springboks 14-0 in the final half-hour.

They also had one try ruled out for crossing and had three more ruled out by the video referee - all legitimately - but given all this it was a chance lost and one they may not get again.

So many theories were turned into dust almost from the kick-off. Any perceptions that it might have been a cagey, tight affair were blown away by a somewhat frenetic opening half and the notion that the Boks might be a touch rusty lasted all of four and a half minutes, likewise the views that the Lions might edge things in the scrum and had picked their best thrower and had filled their lineout.

Indeed, the Lions couldn’t script a worse start for themselves. Three times the Boks kickers put the ball in behind Ugo Monye, the third a cross kick by Ruan Pienaar after the Lions had botched their first throw which forced an attacking scrum.

Pienaar and Juan Smith took it up infield in turns off passes from Fourie du Preez, and repeating the pattern, John Smit went through Croft and Roberts a mite too easily.

One of the few areas of encouragement was some of the aerial ping pong, and especially Francois Steyn under the high ball. The converted fullback dropped the kick off and off a solid scrum, the halves moved the ball to Brian O’Drisocll who found Ugo Monye. Alas, JP Pietersen and the covering Jean de Villiers, somehow getting his right arm under the ball, just did enough to prevent him completing his slide over the line.

Instead, Mtawarira set about his personal destruction of Vickery, and Pienaar landed the first of three penalties against the English tight-head. By contrast, Stephen Jones missed an eminently kickable penalty before Steyn made it 13-0 with a monstrous effort from the touchline after Tom Croift had shoulder charged Pierre Spies.

The Lions hadn’t played their trump card yet, the excellent Jamie Roberts-Brian O’Driscoll midfield partnership - which was one forecast that did come to fruition. Boshing it up the short side wasn’t working against the Boks’ physicality, but a line-out steal by Paul O’Connell at the tail enabled David Wallace to rumble up the middle and from the recycle Roberts went through Adi Jacobs and Pietersen to link with O’Driscoll, who held his nerve and the ball with Tommy Bowe on his outside before taking Steyn’s tackle and putting the supporting Croft over.

The notion that Ruan Pienaar might be a little rusty didn’t last too long either. His kicking out of hand was very accurate and with a quicker chase it didn’t leave much room or time for the Lions’ back three, but a fumble by Pienaar gave the Lions’ the platform for another well-worked move for O’Driscoll to break through with Bowe on hand for a run-in. Alas, Byrne got his timing fractionally wrong and Bryce Lawrence was correct to disallow the effort.

In what was rapidly becoming a mortifying experience for the English warrior, Vickery was sent airborne again by Mtawarira and Piennar made it 16-7 from the penalty and added another soon after as the Lions were also coming off worse in Lawrence’s eyes at the breakdown.

Rob Kearney replaced Byrne, who clearly wasn’t right, and there was a case for bringing Adam Jones on at tight-head as well. At least Pienaar didn’t land another scrum penalty against Vickery on half-time. It’s a minefield, legally, in the frontrow jungle but although Mtawarira’s strength was clearly a problem for Vickery, it didn’t appear that the Beast was scrummaging too straight either. Furthermore, it can’t all have been Vickery’s problem and clearly there was a huge squeeze from the Boks’ second row as well.

The referee was accompanied off the pitch by O’Connell, Vickery and Mears, but typical of frontline test referees now - even one as relatively inexperienced as Lawrence - the Kiwi official seemed to tell O’Connell not to touch him and appeared at best disinterested in his entreaties. All in all, an ominous end to an ominous half.

When three successive Boks’ rolling mauls resulted in a couple of penalties up the line and then a try for Heinrich Brussow off a take by Matfiield to make it 26-7, the Lions weren’t so much being beaten as humiliated. Whereupon Adam Jones came on,

the scrum steadied immediately and the Lions finished far the stronger, pummelling the tiring Boks through the phases even though Pieter de Villiers emptied his bench.

Off a scrum, O’Driscoll broke the line and fed Roberts, who was tugged before taking the pass, and with advantage having run its course Mike Phillips just lost control in reaching out for the line.

Roberts and O’Driscoll were the go-to men repeatedly, and a patient bout of multi-phase attacks saw Roberts make in roads before O’Driscoll, off the recycle, drew defenders onto him and put Croft over again.

Back the Lions came, again and again, patiently through the phases, before the halves and O’Driscoll worked the ball to Roberts, Rob Kearney and finally Monye, but Morne Steyn completed a wonderful covering tackle on the Harlequins wing. Still they kept knocking, Mr Lawrence now penalising the Boks consistently, and after Roberts had been held up, Phillips dummied, saw a gap and slipped over. With five minutes to go it was now a one-score game.

The Boks were rattled, fumbles by Ricky Januarie and Matfield giving the Lions field position, and Bowe nearly broke clear off an O’Driscoll pass but as the bodies piled in one more time - from both sides - Lawrence effectively ended the contest by singling out a Lion.

An astonishing endgame to a bizarre match.

South Africa: F Steyn (Sharks); JP Pietersen (Sharks), A Jacobs (Sharks), J de Villiers (Stormers), B Habana (Bulls); R Pienaar (Sharks), F du Preez (Bulls); T Mtawarira (Sharks), B du Plessis (Sharks), J Smit (Sharks, capt), B Botha (Bulls), V Matfield (Bulls), D Rossouw (Bulls), J Smith (Cheetahs), P Spies (Bulls).

Replacements: D Rossouw (Bulls) for Brussow (52 mins), A Bekker (Stormers) for Botha, J Fourie (Lions) for de Villiers (both 57 mins), G Steenkamp (Bulls) for Mtawarira, D Carstens (Sharks) for Smit, A Bekker (Stormers) for Botha (all 65 mins), M Steyn (Bulls) for Pienaar (65-75 mins) and for Jacobs (75 mins), R Januarie (Stormers) for du Preez (69 mins), Smit for Carstens (77 mins).

Lions: L Byrne (Ospreys/Wales); T Bowe (Ospreys/Ireland), B O'Driscoll (Leinster/Ireland), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues/Wales), U Monye (Harlequins/England); S Jones (Scarlets/Wales), M Phillips (Ospreys/Wales); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues/Wales), L Mears (Bath/England), P Vickery (Wasps/England), A-W Jones (Ospreys/Wales), P O'Connell (Munster/Ireland, capt), T Croft (Leicester/England), D Wallace (Munster/Ireland), J Heaslip (Leinster/Ireland).

Replacements: R Kearney (Leinster/Ireland) for Byrne (38 mins), A Jones (Ospreys/Wales) for Vickery (45 mins), M Rees (Scarlets/Wales) for Mears (50 mins), M Williams (Cardiff Blues/Wales) for Wallace (67 mins), D O'Callaghan (Munster/Ireland) for A-W Jones (75 mins)

Not used: H Ellis (Leicester/England), R O'Gara (Munster/Ireland).

Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand).