Go Bokke Go!!

You’re in my heart, you’re in my soul – today! Good luck, you know you can do it!  If you watch this video, see if you can spot the Lions in the breakers.

Bokke: I wished you good luck this morning…well done!

Great Bokke!!

Wallace goes down short side but Boks force him into touch easily. O’Connell pinches throw and ball is spread wide. Roberts breaks first tackle and feeds O’Driscoll, who cuts back inside. Pietersen stops O’Driscoll but pops the ball up for Croft who goes over for lovely try. 13-5.

Comments from Yahoo…

33 min…Pienaar from in front of the posts makes it 16-7.

35 min –Pienaar from wide out makes it 19-7….wow!

38 min…Lions again penalised at scrum and again Vickery is ruled guilty party. That’s three times now and the England prop gets warning from ref. Thankfull for Lions Pienaar off target with kick on goal.
40 min…Ref blows for half-time and the Lions trail 19-7. Not a good half for the tourists. Things not going there way at all, especially in the scrums, where they were supposed to have the edge. It’s not over yet, but it will take a monumental effort to turn this round!

First Half…SA 19 – Lions 7

Whoops!! just look at this one!

47 min…Pienaar adds conversion and Lions trail 26-7.

49 min…Attacking scrum for Lions and again Roberts and O’Driscoll combine to make inroads in Boks midfield. Wallace makes good ground, Phillips dummies and goes for the line. Has he got it down? Ref goes to TMO and it looks like Phillips lost control. Scrum five to Boks.

53 min…O’Driscoll’s turn this time to get caught in midfield and Boks earn penalty.

55min …Lions stringing together some phases here but not really making any ground. Roberts makes half break in midfield but again the Boks tackling is good. Monye hands off Smit to make some space but Lions going sideways.

 59min…Game seems to have gone a little flat, maybe because Boks are so comfortable! Lions need a try and a try soon if they are going to get back into this.

64min…Lions attacking deep in Boks 22, but tackling is fierce and they are not getting quick ball. Boks offside and Lions have penalty in front of posts. O’Connell opts for scrum.

Second half..Bokke 26- Lions 7

65 min…More Boks replacements: Carstens for Mtawarira, Steenkamp for Smit and Steyn for Pienaar.

66 min…Boks concede another penalty – and why not. Lions need to score tries and they know the Boks know they won’t kick. Williams on for Wallace.

 69min…Lions keep on battering Boks line. Roberts and O’Driscoll again prominant and the Irishman pops ball up for Croft to go over for his second try. Well played.

Springboks…26-Lions…14

72min…Lions keep on attacking. Another try now would make it very interesting. Boks concede another penalty and Phillips takes quick tap. Ball is recycled and spun wide to Monye, who cuts inside for what looks like certain try only for Fourie to knock ball clear.

76 min…Spies knocks on after picking up at scrum 5m from his line. Lions have put in. Boks feeling the heat now, but they know they are still 12 points clear. Lions must score. Monye almost clear, ref awards another penalty and Lions opt for scrum.

75min…Heaslip picks up and feeds Roberts on the crash. The centre is just held up. But Lions recycle ball and Phillips darts ocver. 26-19 – game on!

NO!! BOKKE!!

76min …Jones adds conversion to make it 26-21

77min…Jones kicks downfield and Januarie makes glaring knock on in his own half. Is this the Lions last chance?

78min…Roberts breaks tackle in midfield but unable to find Bowe in support – so close! Boks kick long and O’Driscoll chips ahead. Boks penalised for offside and Jones kicks for corner.’O'Driscoll down but thankfully up again. Jones kick for corner too conservative! Boks knock on at lineout and Lions have scrum.

2 minutes to go!

80min…Lions try to break through midfield but Boks defence good and they force penalty for Lions failing to release. Pienaar kicks for touch and one line out left.

80min…Lions need to pinch this ball as hooter goes. But Bekker takes catch cleanly and Januarie kicks to touch for final whistle. Boks win 26-21

Habana… only one of my favourite Springbok rugby players – Images: yahoo

Another favourite: Fourie Du Preez (right)

Second Test : 27th June 2009

Bokke: 28 – Lions: 25

The Springboks did a great comeback…they were behind during the first half! You should read this update about the 2nd test from the bottom to the top. Comments from Yahoo:
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/rugby/lions-2009/2009/s-africa-lions-279939.html

80′Morne Styen has chance from 5m inside his own half to win the series. Steyn on target and Boks have won the series. 28-25. What a game. Epic is the only word to describe. Lions will feel they let it slip but got to hand it to the Boks for coming back. Thanks for joining us.

80′Du Preez darts into Lions defence. Last chance maybe for Boks to reclaim the series. Steyn break first line and Jacobs almost clear but for tackle of Williams. Morne Steyn is in the pocket but his drop is short. Kearney kicks up field. Steyn replies, O’Gara responds and Boks earn penalty for O’Gara taking man out in the air.

78′Williams tries to counter but is flattened by Brussow. Lions win penalty for high tackle Bekker on Stephen Jones continues attack. Jones has chance to level scores from touchline. And he does! What a kick! 25-25.

74′Steyn adds conversion and Boks lead 25-22. 74′Boks lineout 15m from Lions line. Spies falttens O’Gara as Boks continue to attack. Boks work Fourie into space on the right wing, the replacement rides the tackle of Phillips and crashes over in the corner. Lions look out on their feet as ref goes to TMO – tough call. TMO is saying yes but touch judge asks again. Try and Boks lead 23-22.

73′Great tackle Bowe on Habana in midfield. But Boks still have ball and Lions under pressure. Shaw tackles high and ref awards penalty to Boks, who chose to go for the corner. Home side going for juggular here!

72′O’Connell forces turnover but Brussow immediately forces pinches ball back for Boks. Shaw has been immense this game and despite his age is stil going strong.

70′ O’Gara and Martyn Williams on now. 70′ Lions have had to make all sorts of changes to their lineup but Burger a mile off side and Lions have kick right in front of goal. Jones nails kick and Lions lead by four. 22-18. 69′ Steyn lands penalty and Lions lead now by one point. 19-18. 68′ Lions in disarray with injuries as Roberts now off. 66′ O’Driscoll is off and Shane Williams on as Boks pressure Lions in defence and earn penalty. Boks opt for quick tap but lose ball. Madness by Boks not taking kick on goal! Lions win penalty but Jones fails to find touch. Steyn chips ahead but Roberts claims ball, only for ref to award Boks penalty.

64′ Steyn adds conversion and Lions lead now just 19-15. 64′ Lions lineout not straight, Boks opt for scrum and Habana comes flying in off his wing and scores under posts. 19-13. Nice try as Boks right back in it. 62 Brussow on for Rossouw. 62′ O’Driscoll flattens Rossouw and both players look knackered. Rossouw got up but collapsed immediately, O’Driscoll is getting some treatment. Rossouw being taken off on buggy, O’Driscoll back in the fray. Good on the Irishman! 61′ Smit concedes penalty and Jones has chance to extend Lions lead. Not an easy one but he must get it from towards touchline. Beautiful kick moves Lions 19-8 ahead. What composure from the Llanelli man!

59′ Rossouw on for Smith, Bekker for Botha. 58′ Boks getting their hands more on the ball now and one has the feeling this is going to go down to the wire – the Lions are going to have to tackle themselves to a standstill and get more points too as Boks up the tempo. 56′ Fourie on for De Villiers. 56′ Habana almost clear as he cuts inside but Phillips makes a superb tackle after Spies missed by Croft. 55′ O’Driscoll and Roberts both make inroads into Boks defence. Lions recycle but Lions knock on in midfield. Match has gone a little flat as Morne Steyn comes on for Pienaar.

53′ Jonjes chips ahead and Habana knocks on, but ref calls Lions back for offside. Another chance for Pienaar. Looks like Alun-Wyn Jones was man penalised, but Pienaar again misses. Another let off for Lions as Pienaar looks to be cracking under the pressure. That one was right in front of posts and six points have now gone begging. 51′ Uncontested scrums for remainder of the game as Jones high ball marked by Steyn. 50′ Ref having a word now with Botha and Sheridan for constant verbals between the two.

50′ Boks looking to spin the ball a bit more now. Lions hack through and force Boks back, but ref has awarded scrum to Lions for Jacobs knock on. 48′ High tackle Rees on Burger and Boks have penalty just inside Lions half. Pienaar to have a shot at goal but the fly-half scuffs it and score remains 16-8. 47′ Pietersen charged down but Shaw offside for not retreating. Pieanar kicsk Boks down to halfway.

45′ Botyh props off the field now. Alun-Wyn Jones on but there will be uncontested scrums now. 45′ Adam Jones also in the wars with an elbow injury! 45′ Jenkins has taken another knock to his face during tackle with O’Driscoll on Habana. The prop is leaving the field and Sheridan back on. 45′ Lions being stretched here as Boks string together series of attacks. So far the tackling good and Lions force turnover allowing Jones to kick downfield. Steyn outside 22 but gets away with his kick to touch. 44′ Du Preez takes lovely high ball and Boks kick deep downfield. Fitzgerald back to clear. Boks break down the right but Lions counter-ruck superbly and force turnover. Habana smashed by O’Driscoll as Boks trty to counter.

42′ Another glorious take by Kearney, who swivels and finds another lovely touch back on Boks 22 line. The boy is on fire. 41′ Pienaar starts the second half. 40′ A fantastic first half for the Lions as the ref blows for half-time. Lions 16-8 and there’s all to play for. If the tourists can maintain parity up front their backs look more than capable of causing the Boks problems.

40′ Boks concede free-kick from lineout and Lions allowed to clear danger. Lions scrum very solid as they spin ball to the right, Jones loops O’Driscoll and is clear but ref penalises for crossing and Boks have penalty. A chance for Steyn from his own half and this time it’s on target. Fine kick as he cuts Lions lead to 16-8. 38′ Habana smashes Bowe from the kickoff but Lions retain possession and Jones kicks downfield. Boks reply and Kearny again takes another supebr catch, but Roberts kick for touch is straight out and Boks have lineout in Lions 22.

36′ Lions pick and drive their way towards Boks try-line. Jones drops back into the pocket and nails a lovely drop goal. 16-5. Well played by the Lions. 34′ Another great scrum from Lions and they pinch ball before Burger steals it back. Lions force turnover and work Fiztgerald into space on the left wing with some lovely hands. He feeds the ball back inside and O’Driscoll is hauled down. But Lions are on front foot here! 31′ Pienaar tackled by Roberts and O’Driscoll in quickly to earn Lions penalty. The Ireland skipper is so good in defence. Jenkins back on for Sheridan as Kearny finds lovely touch on Boks 22.

29′ Good counter rucking from Lions and they force turnover. Pienaar sends up high ball but Kearny takes it quite superbly, feeds O’Driscoll and the centre kicks ahead. Lovely stuff from the Lions full-back. 27′ Nice drive from Sheridan sets up Lions attacking position in middle of field. The big prop takes it again but this time he’s pinged for holding on. Good effort though, but it allows Boks to kick down to Lions 22. 26′ Habana fails to find touch, Kearny gathers and goes for long drop goal but it’s never going over.

25′ High charge Pietersen on Kearny. Daft from the Boks wing as Kearny was stuck in corner and had nowhere the go. Jones kicks 40m donwfield. 24′ Sheridan on for Jenkins who is off for repairs. 22′ O’Driscoll loose pass intercepted by Habana and the wing almost gets away. Shaw high tackle in enusing Boks attack and home side have penalty. Steyn handed ball as it’s a long chance. It has the legs but is wide.

19′ Fasntastic scrum by Lions and Jones gets the better of the Beast and earns Lions a penalty. Stunning from the Wales prop! Boks concede penalty at lineout and Jones kicks Lions down to Boks 22. 18′ Lovely box kick from Phillips but Bowe knocks on as he challenges Spies. Bowe buzzing at the moment as scrums set for the first time. Cross kick from Pienaar superbly claimed by Pietersen, who chips ahead and Fitzgerald forced to touch down. 5m scrum for Boks.

15′ Phillips dummmies and goes as Lions attack into Boks 22. Wallace continues drive and Boks are offside. Easy chance for Jones and he makes it 13-5. 13′ Danger signs for the Lions with du Preez looking on form. 13′ Somehow Pienaar misses conversion and it remains 10-5. 12′ Boks win throw comfrotably, Du Preez runs at Lions defence and pops ball up for Pietersen who glides through for Boks opening try. Nicely created from set piece. 10-5. 11′ Heaslip crashes into the Boks backs and sets up ball. Jenkins takes ball into Boks midfield but is pinged for not releasing. Looks a tad harsh as Jenkins’s hands were not on the ball. Boks kick down towards Lions 22 as Burger comes on to boos of Lions fans.

9′ The Lions always said they felt they had the Boks in the backs and it’s proving as much so far. 8′ Jones adds the conversion and Lions lead 10-0. What a start from the Lions! 7′ All Lions here. Great Jones offload to Kearny and the Irishman shows great composure as he dummies the defence and slides over in the corner. Lions lead 8-0. 5′ Boks charged down and the Lions have them rattled here. Sadly ball does not break for the visitors, but the pressure is all on the Boks here. 5′ Bit of afters between O’Driscoll and Matfield as scuffle breaks out. O’Driscoll penalised but Boks miss touch and Fiztgerald launches high ball.

4′ Kearny takes fine catch and launches counter from deep. Rees is on his shoulder but sadly spills ball as Lions move deep into Boks 22. 3′ Jones on target and Lions lead 3-0. Great start! 2′ Croft wins throw and Boks penalised for offside as Shaw takes ball into midfield. 1′ Looks like Burger is in trouble already for a finger in the eye of Fitzgerald. yellow for Burger and Jones kicks Lions into Boks 22. What a start! Burger lucky to get just a yellow. 1′ Boks take kick-off and launch early rolling maul and earn penalty. Good start for Springbok pack and worrying for the Lions.

1′ Big day for French referee Christophe Berdos as he starts the game, with Jones kicking off for the Lions. – Ian McGeechan has never lost a second Test as a head coach and will hope to maintain that record this afternoon. It’s one almighty task for the Lions: what have they up their sleeve to negate the massive Boks pack?

They will need something. – It’s a wonderful, sunny afternoon at Loftus Versfeld, home of Super 14 champions the Bulls, who have five players in the Boks’ starting XV. – Despite being on the end of a potential hiding for the first 50 minutes last week, the Lions finished with aplomb and almost sneaked a remarkable victory. They will need to retain that memory if they are to overcome a Boks side that is likely to be even stronger. – The Boks make just the one change, with former world player of the year Schalk Burger back at blindside flank after recovering from injury. Burger replaces the unfortunate Heinrich Brussow, who was outstanding last week. – On the bench, Shane and Martyn Williams will hope to get the chance to show off their undoubted skills, while Andrew Sheridan will likely get the chance to make an impact in the front row late in the game. – A few changes to the Lions starting XV after their mullering up front last week: Adam Jones and Matthew Rees into the front row, and Simon Shaw at lock to add some ballast. Behind the scrum, Rob Kearney comes in at full-back for the injured Lee Byrne, while Luke Fitzgerald gets his chance on the left wing in place of Ugo Monye. – Good afternoon and welcome to the big one: the second Test between the British and Irish Lions against world champions South Africa from Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. A must-win game for the Lions after their thrilling 26-21 defeat last weekend.