Lucky Sithole
Springbok Lukhanyo Am’s crunching tackle on B&I Lions’ Elliot Daly in the third minute of the match seemed to set the tone for the first half.
In every facet of this, the first test match between the Springboks and the B&I Lions in Cape Town, the Springboks were just a little better than the visitors. It was the sort of game that made the Springbok supporters settle back in their arm chairs, wishing for a non-existent celebratory beer.
In the change room, the Springboks may have concluded that you don’t change a winning game. Clearly the Springbok scrum had dominated and that was even before Kitshoff, Marx and Malherbe came onto the field.
But the Lions hadn’t read the script.
They came back after halftime and scored an early try. Was it a temporary setback for the Boks?
Well, the Boks scored a try and they were still in the lead. Then followed that strange situation when the Springboks were ahead on the scoreboard (17-16) but they seemed to be losing.
The Lions scored a penalty to take a two-point lead and the game wasn’t over yet, except the Boks never had a chance to do anything about it. When Owen Farrell slotted the final penalty it was all over bar the crying.
While Maro Itoje was awarded man of the match, the entire team did their work – and that included Alun Wyn Jones who did all that was expected of him.
Why did the Springboks fall apart in the second half? Is it an excuse to say that the road to the match was as rocky as it could have been, with a lack of match fitness exacting a dreadful toll?
If not, will they be better next week?
Fifty years ago, Springbok Boy Louw, who was not a master of the English language, was told his team was lucky to win. He allegedly replied with: “Oh, so? Looks at the scoreboard.”
The reality is on the scoreboard. If you take a looks.
Match: South Africa 17-22 B&I Lions.
Series: South Africa 0-1 B&I Lions.
Image source: @EnglandRugby
