The British & Irish Lions restored some of their pride by beating the Springboks comprehensively by 28 – 9 in the final test on Saturday at Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg.

Paul O’Connell’s men gave a clinically committed performance against a disjointed and lethargic Springbok side to not only ensure that they would not be the first Lions to be whitewashed on a tour of South Africa but also match the record test score set by Willie John McBride’s 1974 side.

Ironically the score, 28-9, exactly matched the score by which McBride’s Lions beat the Springboks in the second test at Loftus in 1974.

Although the Springboks had the satisfaction of winning the series by having taken the first two tests, Saturday’s comprehensive defeat will serve to highlight just how close it was.

The Boks’ coaches almost contrived to give it away in the first test in Durban, the only game in which John Smit’s men played anywhere near the standard they are capable of, and the second was only won thanks to Morné Steyn’s long-range penalty right at the death.

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Springbok coach Peter de Villiers made ten changes to the starting XV to face the British & Irish Lions in the third and final Test at Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg on Saturday.

De Villiers included only one uncapped player in the starting team when he named Vodacom Blue Bulls player Zane Kirchner at fullback.

Morné Steyn and Chiliboy Ralepelle will both make their first starts for the Springboks at flyhalf and hooker respectively, while the other newcomers to the starting line-up are Johann Muller, Heinrich Brüssow, Ryan Kankowski, Wynand Olivier, Jaque Fourie, Jongi Nokwe and Odwa Ndungane.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to play against the Lions and we respect them so much, that we wanted to give all our players a chance to take them on,” said De Villiers.

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Bulls fullback Zane Kirschner will make his debut as Springbok on Saturday against the British & Irish Lions.

The 25-year-old Bulls fullback is an unexpected addition to the Bok line-up that will try to make history by becoming the first South African team in the two sides’ 118 history to win all three tests in a series. The Springboks have won three series – in 1903, 1962 and 1968 – but never all the tests.

Kirchner joined the team on Monday at Bok coach Peter de Villiers’s request. Although it was initially said that Kirchner was invited to gain experience, De Villiers will on Thursday surprise many by announcing the name of the fullback as a member of the Bok 22-member squad.

Kirchner’s brilliant form in the Super 14 and his performance for the Emerging Boks against the Lions at Newlands, convinced De Villiers to give the Bulls star a chance.

Kirchner has played in 15 of the Bulls’ Super 14 matches and impressed with his excellent tactical kicking and his ability to win back his own high kicks.

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The British & Irish Lions have named their team to face the Springboks in the second test at Loftus with the inclusion of Simon Shaw.

The London Wasps and England lock is one of three changes to the Lions pack following their 26-21 defeat in the first Test in Durban and one of five changes overall to the starting line-up.

Head coach Ian McGeechan has also made four changes to his replacements bench as he goes in search of the victory that will keep the three Test series alive.

The changes made see Rob Kearney replacing the injured Lee Byrne at fullback, whilst Ugo Monye, Alun-Wyn Jones, Phil Vickery and Lee Mears make way for Luke Fitzgerald, Simon Shaw, Adam Jones and Matthew Rees respectively.

Changes among the replacements see Ross ford, Andrew Sheridan and Shane Williams drafted in and Alun-Wyn Jones drop down from the first Test starting XV to replace Donncha O’Callaghan.

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There are some questions about Willem de Waal‘s equalising coversion kick for the Emerging Boks in their 13 – 13 draw against the British & Irish Lions at Newlands.

The 31-year-old flyhalf on Tuesday night gave supporters a reason to cheer at the drenched Newlands stadium when he ensured that the Emerging Springboks drew 13-13 with the tourists.

But immediately after the match there was a scramble to establish if the touring team had suffered an injustice.

Journalists approached André Watson, South Africa’s chief referee about the kick. Watson admitted that he had his doubts about whether it was a valid kick and therefore studied visual footage.

The footage appeared to be contradictory but it was finally deduced, partly from the body language of the Lions, that the kick was valid.

“I watched it on Tuesday night in slow motion. With the shot from behind, you are looking for a moment when you see the ball and the posts disappear. You get it on two shots,” said Watson.

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Welsh and British & Irish Lions winger and World Player of the Year 2008 Shane Williams has admitted that the game against the Emerging Springboks on Tuesday at Newlands may be his last for the Lions if he does not perform up to standard.

Williams, who says that the current trip to South Africa is very much his last Lions tour, believes he can force his way back into the Test selection frame with the form that saw him win numerous accolades last year – including IRB Player of the Year, Six Nations player of the year and finishing as the tournament’s top try scorer.

However, should he fail to fire – as he has done all tour – Williams knows he will never wear the Lions shirt again.

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Dick Muir, the coach of the Emerging Springboks have  announced his team on Monday to take on the British & Irish Lions at Newlands on Tuesday the 23rd June 2009.

The team will be captained by Vodacom Blue Bulls flanker Dewald Potgieter, who was skipper of the South African Schools side in 2005.

“We are blessed with the amount of depth we have in South African rugby and the group of players assembled here proves that. We are wary of the fact that the British & Irish Lions will be looking to bounce back after their defeat in the first Test, but I’m confident that we’ll be competitive against them on Tuesday evening,” said Muir.

Muir will be assisted by Jerome Paarwater and Stanley Raubenheimer, while Charles Wessels, the Springboks’ Logistics Manager, has been appointed Team Manager of the Emerging Springbok side.

Emerging Springbok team to play the British & Irish Lions:

15. Zane Kirchner (Vodacom Blue Bulls)

14. Luzuko Vulindlu (The Sharks)

13. Deon van Rensburg (Platinum Leopards)

12. Morgan Newman (Vodacom Western Province)

11. Bjorn Basson (GWK Griquas)

10. Earl Rose (Xerox Golden Lions)

9. Jano Vermaak (Xerox Golden Lions)

8. Duane Vermeulen (Vodacom Western Province)

7. Jean Deysel (The Sharks)

6. Dewald Potgieter (c) (Vodacom Blue Bulls)

5. Wilhelm Steenkamp (Vodacom Blue Bulls)

4. Steven Sykes (The Sharks)

3. Werner Kruger (Vodacom Blue Bulls)

2. Bandise Maku (Vodacom Blue Bulls)

1. Wian du Preez (Vodacom Free State Cheetahs)

Reserves:

16. Tiaan Liebenberg (Vodacom Western Province)

17. Pat Cilliers (The Sharks)

18. Franco van der Merwe (Xerox Golden Lions)

19. Jacques Botes (The Sharks)

20. Heini Adams (Vodacom Blue Bulls)

21. Willem de Waal (Vodacom Western Province)

22. Danwel Demas (Vodacom Free State Cheetahs)

Source: sarugby.co.za 

The British & Irish Lions have named their test team to face the Springboks on Saturday in the first of three tests.

The side to face the Springboks at the newly renamed ABSA Stadium includes six Welshmen, five Irishmen and four Englishmen, with a further three Welshmen, three Irishmen and one Englishman named on the replacements bench.

Ireland’s Paul O’Connell captains the side from the second row, where he is joined by Wales international Alun-Wyn Jones.

Elsewhere up front, previous Lions Test players Gethin Jenkins and Phil Vickery are selected at prop, with Lee Mears packing down between them in the front row.

Leicester’s Tom Croft, who missed out on selection for the original 37-man Lions squad back in April, is named at blindside flanker, with Irish duo David Wallace and Jamie Heaslip at openside and No8 respectively.

Mike Phillips and Stephen Jones form a Welsh half-back partnership, with 2005 Lions skipper Brian O’Driscoll selected outside Cardiff Blues star Jamie Roberts in the centres.

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The British & Irish Lions beat the Southern Kings from the Eastern Cape 20 – 8 Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Sunday , but the Lions definitely did not have it all their own way.

In a match marking the inauguration of a stadium named after South Africa’s favourite son and commemorating a momentous juncture in the country’s history the rag-tag Kings played with appropriate passion and spirit.

The Kings might have been drawn from all corners of the country, indeed from the world, and had little time to prepare but they responded to the gauntlet thrown down by the Lions, when they named a macro pack in their effort to grind out a sixth successive win, with gusto.

In the end the tourists succeeded, but the Kings, before the biggest crowd of the tour (some 35 800), would have shaken the Lions’ confidence ahead of Saturday’s first test in Durban.

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The British and Irish Lions kept their unbeaten record alive, when they edged a willing Western Province team 26-23 at a cold and wet Newlands on Saturday.

But for a few late penalties, the result of a substitution by the home team, the tourists may well have lost their unbeaten run on their South African safari.

Replacement flyhalf James Hook landed the match-winner in the 76th minute, the second of two penalties WP conceded at scrum time after bringing JD Moller on for Wicus Blaauw.

While the Province coaching staff will ponder what could have been, the game gave the tourists plenty of food for thought – with the first Test against South Africa just a week away.