The same two sides were reacquainted after a Covid outbreak at the Bulls and Jamie George was given the honour of captaining the side from hooker.Īided by a red card to Jaden Hendrikse, the Lions chalked up a 71-31 victory with Beirne scoring two, George himself crossing for a double and Anthony Watson showing his eye for the line with a further two tries. Team selection was disrupted with eight last minute changes to the 23 just a couple of hours before kick-off after nine players were placed into isolation.Īdams added a hat-trick to his soaring try tally and Duhan van der Merwe also crossed for three tries. The Lions were again comfortable winners against their next opponents, Cell C Sharks at the same Emirates Airline Park venue in midweek.
It was the first time two Scots had scored a try in the same game for the Lions since 1989.Īnd although he did not touch down, captain on the day Stuart Hogg shone with a vitally important try-saving tackle on Sibusiso Sangweni, who he chased down five metres short of the line. The youngest man on tour Louis Rees-Zammit, in charge of BIL the Lion, also crossed along with scrum-half Gareth Davies and Scottish duo Hamish Watson and Ali Price. Winger Josh Adams got his Tour off to a flyer with four tries in the opening match in Johannesburg as Gatland’s men trumped their namesakes Sigma Lions 56-14. Two more Welshmen in Josh Navidi and Adam Beard were added to the touring party that immediately flew out to South Africa, with Tipuric and Jones, initially, staying in the UK. The result meant it is now 13 Tours since the Lions last lost their opener but the encounter with the Japanese was not plain sailing because as well as the shoulder injury suffered by Jones, Welsh team-mate Justin Tipuric suffered his own shoulder problem that would rule him out of the Tour. Three of the four Lions tries were scored by debutants, including a lovely effort from versatile Irish forward Tadhg Beirne who sprinted under the sticks after being found with a deft pass from fly-half Dan Biggar. It was a first ever match in Scotland for the tourists, who successfully negotiated a spirited Brave Blossoms outfit to come out 28-10 winners. The squad’s initial meeting began with a successful training camp in Jersey where players were able to escape the clutches of the hotel and explore what the Channel Island has to offer.Ī first competitive run-out for the Lions, excluding those involved in the Premiership final on the same day, came at BT Murrayfield against Japan. Kicking consultant Neil Jenkins also reprised his role as assistant coach for the fourth successive Tour having previously been to South Africa in 2009, Australia in 2013 and New Zealand in 2017. Welshman Robin McBryde, who toured Australia as a player in 2001, joined the coaching staff for the first time as assistant coach with the remit for the forwards having previously been an integral member of Gatland’s Wales set-up during a 13-year career in Cardiff. Gatland called upon 1997 tourist Gregor Townsend as attack coach alongside his fellow Scotland coach Steve Tandy to take charge of the defence. Gatland’s side was skippered by the talismanic Alun Wyn Jones, who flew out to South Africa just three weeks after dislocating his shoulder against Japan at Murrayfield.
#LIONS SCORE SERIES#
Warren Gatland’s men were denied the support of the Sea of Red with travelling fans grounded by travel restrictions imposed due to Covid-19.īut those players selected from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales did themselves proud in a mightily close Test match series which just tipped in favour of the Springboks.
Against all the odds and amid a pandemic, The British & Irish Lions managed to successfully stage a Tour to South Africa in 2021.
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