Hook nails late winner
Replacement James Hook goaled a penalty in the 74th minute to give the Lions a scrappy 26-23 win over WP.
The rain abated from kickoff to climax, but the heavy showers around lunchtime certainly left their mark on the Newlands turf. The greasy ball was even harder to field given the turbulent wind, as WP fullback Joe Pietersen indicated on more than one occasion.
The Lions employed the high-ball tactic to good effect as Pietersen and company dropped several bombs to hand the visitors both territory and possession. The first quarter was characterised by garryowens, probes for touch and low-trajectory grubbers, and for the most part it was the Lions who executed these kicks better.
Willem de Waal kicked two penalties and a drop goal in the first half while Pietersen sunk a drop goal of his own, but unfortunately for the home fans, WP just never looked like scoring a try. The Newlands’ faithful screamed whenever the hosts drew close, but as the move broke down a more prominent cry of ‘Lions, Lions’ could be heard from the travelling contingent.
Wales No 8 Andy Powell stood out for the tourists, beating the first tackler with his dangerous combo of quick feet and powerful upper-body strength. It was a Powell break that sparked the first try as the Lions’ backs and forwards combined to expose some poor WP defence.
Powell offloaded to Martyn Williams who in turn popped a smart pass to Stephen Jones. Rob Kearney took it wide, throwing a great floating pass in spite of conditions. Tommy Bowe received the ball on WP’s 22, spun out of one tackle, stepped inside another and bust through two more to dot down.
Bowe’s direct running set up the visitors’ second try in the 35th minute, and again credit must go to the shocking WP defence. Bowe slid through the first line effortlessly and was eventually hauled in by Tonderai Chavhanga after repelling the hapless Pietersen. He also found the time to deliver a basketball-pass to fellow winger Ugo Monye, who showed great anticipation and pace to finish.
De Waal goaled a penalty right on half-time to reduce the deficit to 18-12, but WP were struggling to stay in the match.
The scrums were a mess with both teams falling foul to a slippery pitch while the Lions’ lineout were solid on their own ball and competitive on WP’s. The breakdowns were also a mess with no team obtaining a clear advantage.
De Waal’s penalty attempt just after the break dropped under the bar, but several moments later he was on target to further narrow the gap. Province began to believe, and this was exemplified by lock Anton van Zyl’s scuffle with opposite number Donncha O’Callaghan.WP were outclassed but were determined to go down fighting.
But there was never enough accuracy in their fight for it to amount to any real threat. They bounced off too many first-time tackles and dropped too many passes. There were several turnovers that the Cape crowd cheered, but these were very minor and insignificant victories.
The Lions piled on the pressure and eventually the WP resistance crumbled again in the 57th minute. They built through the phases never shifting out from the first-receiver, and eventually Williams flopped over in the corner.
Stephen Jones’s goal-kicking radar was off in this fixture and he’ll surely be keen to get back up to the highveld. Newlands is notorious for its difficult goal-kicking conditions but that hardly seem to affect De Waal, who kicked an important penalty in the 61st minute to keep the hosts in the game at 23-18.
Province drew level three minutes later when a sustained period of pressure paid dividends. They looked to have butchered an opportunity but remained patient, and when the overlap was created De Waal threw a good overhead pass to Pietersen who showcased his finishing ability. De Waal, couldn’t convert from the touchline, but at 23-23 with 16 minutes remaining, the stage was set for a dramatic finish.
Hook didn’t fare any better than Jones with his first penalty attempt, and so the Lions failed to take the lead. Brimming with confidence, the hosts fought their way into Lions territory but were undone by a handling error again. This time it was De Waal who dropped the ball cold.
Hook goaled a difficult penalty from 50m out to regain the lead and from here the Lions fought to hang on. Again they were helped by WP’s errors, an attacking movement in Lions territory coming to nought due to a forward pass. On the hooter, Pietersen also grubbered the ball away to hand the visitors victory.
It was a far from polished performance from the men in red, but the bottom line is the Lions have won their fifth match in succession and gained further match preparation ahead of next Saturday’s Test in Durban.
By Jon Cardinelli, at Newlands
June 13th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
#490 superBul:
I saw that.
Obama’s $73 mil is just a token….
The world is waiting for Mugabe to go, and the money will flow to Zim like you won’t believe!
June 13th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
#498 grootblousmile: Sorry… “Youth Day”…. just another useless holiday…
June 13th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
#488 carol: Hi there, i did not have a word with you for quite a while, you doing well, did you enjoy the photos of that baby cheetahs? i Found a small, day old chics of a bird i have not identified yet, two possibilities.
June 13th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
#498 grootblousmile: I thought you had just had a freedom day or was it a reconcilliation day, is there a difference?
Tuesday is rubbish, should be Friday or Monday…
Are you going to be here later?
June 13th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
#499 Pietman: Zim is ‘n demmm mooi land jong, maar die ou landjie is goed opgeflok deur Mad Bob en sy trawante….
June 13th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Gunther it is the american senators that is so Open about their Bad manners and Addictions.The Lie is being Exposed and you are one of the Few still clutching straws.
Go back to where They came from the Caucausus mountains to spread their Negative ideologies and DISTORTIONS.
June 13th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
#496 Langenhoven:
Tourism yes!
But it is hard work, you need ‘dishwashers and waiters’ galore to satisfy those Yanks trying to tell you loudly that you actually owe them for coming to your country.
Not my line of business, f’ckim…
June 13th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
#475 gunther: Island economy that exports doctors…It has the best health care system in teh world and they managed to sustain that ever since the revolution.. First world countries are trying to copy them…How the hell can they be so efficient???
June 13th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
#504 grootblousmile: \
Geld gaan dit regmaak, binne die volgende 5 jaar…
June 13th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
#502 carol: I might be… or I might be in bed, watching the England / Argies game…. could maybe blog from bed.. hehehe
June 13th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
#501 superBul: They had gone to my ‘junk’ box and I only found them yesterday…The cheetahs are so fluffy, there is one particularly cute picture of them.
The chick had quite interesting markings, I imagine you should get some identification with patterns like those!
June 13th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
b lions fans having a great time….watched with a bunch of kilted scots….fantastic atmosphere….although only about 30000 spectatots….the Lions fans really loving Cape Town….at least had thurs and Fri good weather….
As for game….stood abehind poles so cant really say much….pity we didnt force the draw or win….but 3 trys to 1 is a good win
Was hoping to see a headline…Boks send SOS to brussow….but no luck…
June 13th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
#504 namakwaland: Funny thing is that SA has borrowed the Americans over R300billion interest free
June 13th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
#508 grootblousmile: I still have got so much to do here…..I’m making this cup of tea last before I start round 3.
Should get going in a moment…
June 13th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
#510 grant10: Helllooooo….Ta for texts..
Was scanning the crowd for your blondes distinctive hair!!
The boys LOVED the Dancing Stormers Girls…..they got quite rowdy!
June 13th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
the lions fans upset at the lack of crowds….cant understand the apathy…i tried to explain the costs of tickets and lack of boks in teams but they are a bit deflated at that aspect….all telling me we crazy not to have the ‘ball thief brussow.’…
June 13th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
#507 Langenhoven:
Cuba is a doctor’s factory.
I went there, to Havana, in 1992, for two days.
Amazing!
Patients are going through that system like sausages in a baconry,70% of their GDP goes into health and the military.
The rest of the people work in the cane fields, narcotics or prostitution.
June 13th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
#507 Pietman: Geld gaan nie in 5 jaar regmaak wat in 29 jaar opgeflok is nie….
Daai swaap was al vir 29 jaar aan bewind…
Die Ooste van Zim (Nyanga en daai deel) stel ek my voor is soos die ou Oos Transvaal gelyk het voor plantasies en ontwikkeling… moerrrrrr mooi !
In die Suide van Zim, net bo die SA grens, lyk dit soos woestyn man… daai donkies en bokke en skepsels daar het die plek so oorwei dat daar min oor is…
June 13th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
#505 Pietman: Irony: The yanks could not destroy the country with their mighty army and sanctions and now they are going detroy with their generosity
June 13th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
#510 grant10: Hey Grant where did they find that substitute loose head prop? How many penalties did he concede? Probably cost WP the match, although Lions deserved to win. But they left it too close for comfort.
June 13th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
#510 grant10: gooooo the LIONS !!!
June 13th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Jis jis
Het julle klomp Luke suigers gesien hoe verdwyn hy as hy teen die grootmanne speel? Nee wat, hoe gouer hy Bath toe verkas, hoe vinniger gaan my span weer sy plek tussen die groot kannone inneem.
Ongelukig moet ek ‘n paar gifpyle na daai wannabee afrigter van die WP ook gooi. Hoe de moer vervang jy jou sterkste loskop 10min voor die einde met ‘n ou wat nie eers weet dat jy eers moet bind voor jy kan begin skrum nie? Dankie, JD, jy het ons die game gekos!! En Joe, ek is vanaand weer net so moerig vir jou soos met laasjaar se Varcity Cup finale. Hoekom skop jy die f@kken al weg as ons mt 3 punte agter is en die tyd is verby? Ook maar lekker stupid!!
June 13th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
#513 carol: the scots loved the dancing girls too….had to laugh…the crowd staarted singing …swing low…the scots and irish refused….i asked why…they said its an Engklish song….We all had headgear on…blonde bravely handled the colsd and wet….happy to have a B lions game on her cv…
June 13th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
#515 grant10:
Het jy net n staanplek gehad?
Ek sien daar was baie plekke leeg op Nuweland…
Hoop jy het genoeg sherry gehad dan!
June 13th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
#513 carol: He was hiding behind a pole apparently, heh, heh
June 13th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
#519 poppa69: You can join Jim and I cheering for the Lions. Lol !!
June 13th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Jis jis
Het julle klomp Luke su!gers gesien hoe verdwyn hy as hy teen die grootmanne speel? Nee wat, hoe gouer hy Bath toe verkas, hoe vinniger gaan my span weer sy plek tussen die groot kannone inneem.
Ongelukig moet ek ‘n paar gifpyle na daai wannabee afrigter van die WP ook gooi. Hoe de m@er vervang jy jou sterkste loskop 10min voor die einde met ‘n ou wat nie eers weet dat jy eers moet bind voor jy kan begin skrum nie? Dankie, JD, jy het ons die game gekos!! En Joe, ek is vanaand weer net so m@erig vir jou soos met laasjaar se Varcity Cup finale. Hoekom skop jy die f@kken al weg as ons mt 3 punte agter is en die tyd is verby? Ook maar lekker stupid!!
June 13th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
#513 carol: Dancing girls definitely a highlight. Commentator suggested a lot of cold belly buttons out there today
June 13th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
#523 carol: Hey Carol, Grant was quite excited earlier when my team lost, so was repaying the favour lol
June 13th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Go to go all…Cheers all
#521 Pietman: And remember…SPEAK TO THE INDIVIDUAL NOT THE SOCIAL CATEGORY
June 13th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Jis jis
Het julle klomp Luke suigers gesien hoe verdwyn hy as hy teen die grootmanne speel? Nee wat, hoe gouer hy Bath toe verkas, hoe vinniger gaan my span weer sy plek tussen die groot kannone inneem.
Ongelukig moet ek ‘n paar gifpyle na daai wannabee afrigter van die WP ook gooi. Hoe de moer vervang jy jou sterkste loskop 10min voor die einde met ‘n ou wat nie eers weet dat jy eers moet bind voor jy kan begin skrum nie? Dankie, JD, jy het ons die game gekos!! En Joe, ek is vanaand weer net so moerig vir jou soos met laasjaar se Varcity Cup finale. Hoekom skop jy die flippen bal weg as ons mt 3 punte agter is en die tyd is verby? Ook maar lekker stupid!!
June 13th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
#524 JimT: us kiwis enjoyed the dancing girls too… more of it I say
June 13th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
#520 grant10: I always hum the Scottish,Irish and Welsh ones as I don’t know the words. Really these Celts and Gallic boys!
“Flower of Scotland te tum te tum”
It did look a bit parky there!
June 13th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Langenhoven,you are so right about that borrowing and yet the choir is still shouting USA.Blindness?
June 13th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
#514 grant10: Tis a pity. Takes a lot away from this tour I’m afraid. Not quite the same as past tours
June 13th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Jis jis
Het julle klomp Luke aanhangers gesien hoe verdwyn hy as hy teen die grootmanne speel? Nee wat, hoe gouer hy Bath toe verkas, hoe vinniger gaan my span weer sy plek tussen die groot kannone inneem.
Ongelukig moet ek ‘n paar gifpyle na daai wannabee afrigter van die WP ook gooi. Hoe de duiwel vervang jy jou sterkste loskop 10min voor die einde met ‘n ou wat nie eers weet dat jy eers moet bind voor jy kan begin skrum nie? Dankie, JD, jy het ons die game gekos!! En Joe, ek is vanaand weer net so bemoerd vir jou soos met laasjaar se Varcity Cup finale. Hoekom skop jy dieflippen bal weg as ons met 3 punte agter is en die tyd is verby? Ook maar lekker stupid!!
June 13th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
#522 JimT: The running is paying off then.
#524 JimT: There was a groan in the room when the camera left the navels!!
June 13th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Jis jis
Het julle klomp Luke aanhangers gesien hoe verdwyn hy as hy teen die grootmanne speel? Nee wat, hoe gouer hy Bath toe verkas, hoe vinniger gaan my span weer sy plek tussen die groot kannone inneem.
Ongelukig moet ek ‘n paar gifpyle na daai wannabee afrigter van die WP ook gooi. Hoe de duiwel vervang jy jou sterkste loskop 10min voor die einde met ‘n ou wat nie eers weet dat jy eers moet bind voor jy kan begin skrum nie? Dankie, JD, jy het ons die game gekos!! En Joe, ek is vanaand weer net so kwaad vir jou soos met laasjaar se Varcity Cup finale. Hoekom skop jy die flippen bal weg as ons met 3 punte agter is en die tyd is verby? Ook maar lekker dom!!
June 13th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
#518 JimT: moller 1 st choice but hurt us today,,,,but lions better than us…3 trys to 1 and we kicked a lot and missed a couple of vital tackles….next week gonna be so tough.
June 13th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
#517 Langenhoven: To think they could have done that 50 years ago !!! Sometimes I wonder about the wisdom of foreign policy experts
June 13th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
How many times are we going to hear Langkop say: “SPEAK TO THE INDIVIDUAL NOT THE SOCIAL CATEGORY” in caps lock like it’s some sort of life changing thing.
WTF is a “social category” anyway?
June 13th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
#519 poppa69: cruel swine,,,,LOL
June 13th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Ongelukig moet ek ‘n paar gifpyle na daai wannabee afrigter van die WP ook gooi. Hoe de duiwel vervang jy jou sterkste loskop 10min voor die einde met ‘n ou wat nie eers weet dat jy eers moet bind voor jy kan begin skrum nie? Dankie, JD, jy het ons die game gekos!! En Joe, ek is vanaand weer net so kwaad vir jou soos met laasjaar se Varcity Cup finale. Hoekom skop jy die flippen bal weg as ons met 3 punte agter is en die tyd is verby? Ook maar lekker dom!!
June 13th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
#506 Langenhoven:
they have no modern equipment no access to pharmaceuticals and the doctors they sent here didn’t go down a treat…. otherwise reat…
June 13th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Het julle klomp Luke aanhangers gesien hoe verdwyn hy as hy teen die grootmanne speel? Nee wat, hoe gouer hy Bath toe verkas, hoe vinniger gaan my span weer sy plek tussen die groot kannone inneem.
June 13th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
#527 Langenhoven: #530 namakwaland:
Jaja.
Nou toe.
Laat julle hol julle tweetjies, klas is verby.
Boeke toe met julle….
June 13th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
#525 poppa69: Yep, I’m still not sure where the Kiwi bashing comes from!!
It’s a bit like Pom bashing, I look at it this way we are visitors here so it goes with the territory!!
June 13th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
#521 Pietman: hi piet….stood under danie craven stand…lots of kwv brandy…lekker and a couple of beers so typing poor….got tickets on grand stand for e boks game…lekker day …very special to have lions here…
June 13th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
#525 poppa69: Yeah, Grant getting the same reputation as BH re: the ABs. He will have to go to rehab for anger management classes
June 13th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
#531 carol: belly ring would have got me started!!