After two woeful performances against Australia and Argentina respectively Martin Johnson’s England side produced a vastly improved display against New Zealand but it ultimately wasn’t enough as the Kiwi’s ground out a deserved win.

While the England manager will have been pleased with his team’s physicality and defensive effort, his men lacked the discipline and accuracy to ever really trouble the All Blacks.

New Zealand were once again far from their best, but were a class apart at scrum time and ultimately had too much for their opponents on the day.

England started well but were dealt a blow early on when Joe Worsley was injured and eventually replaced by Tom Croft after just two minutes.

The first point-scoring opportunity fell to the visitors when Lewis Moody was penalised for blatantly entering the ruck from the side. But much to the dismay of the crowd Dan Carter missed the kick that would have seen him surpass Andrew Merhtens’ All Blacks point-scoring record and the scores remained deadlocked.

Despite the early opportunity for Carter and a couple of cynical infringements, England had certainly started the better off the two teams and the bulk of the English fans thought Ugo Monye had given their side the lead in the 11th minute, but he was adjudged to have knocked the ball on in the process of stopping Conrad Smith.

Just four minutes later though and England were finally rewarded for their endeavour as Jonny Wilkinson slotted a penalty after the Kiwis were penalised for not rolling away as referee Jonathan Kaplan continued to stringently govern the breakdown.

If England had forgotten about the attacking threat the All Blacks possessed they were quickly reminded on 18 minutes when from nowhere the visitors spread it wide to Mils Muliaina who was only prevented from scoring the first try of the game by some excellent cover defence from Monye.

Carter eventually, and rightfully, took his place as New Zealand’s all time point-scorer when he nailed a monster kick just inside England’s half to level the scores.

While neither team’s kicking game deserved any notable praise in the first half, the Kiwi pack certainly had the upper hand at scrum time after their mauling at the hands of the Italian scrum last week in Milan.

The two flyhalves exchanged kicks again before yet another poor England scrum presented Carter with an opportunity to put his side in the lead for the first time. Yet once again Carter’s ever-reliable left boot let him down and England breathed a collective sigh of relief as the teams went in level at the break.

The Kiwis finally took the lead just four minutes into the second stanza as England were yet again blown up for a ruck infringement. But while Carter converted the opportunity it was hardly accomplished in the smooth, metronomic style rugby fans have come to expect from the All Blacks flyhalf.

But despite their talisman’s somewhat shaky form, the All Blacks were starting to build up some momentum and finally got the first try of the game with just over a quarter of the game left to play.

The move began from yet another dominant scrum before the ball was spread wide to Sitiveni Sivivatu who spotted a gap and managed to find his skipper Richie McCaw who produced a world-class offload to Jimmy Cowan who rounded off the move.

True to his Jekyll and Hyde performance Carter nailed the resulting conversion from the left touchline to give his team a 16-6 lead.

Having made almost twice as many tackles as their opponents it was inevitable that the hosts would begin to tire and naturally the gaps started to open up for Graham Henry’s troops.

In the end the England defence managed to keep them at bay and keep the score line respectable.

England will certainly take some pride from their performance, but they are still along way from being able to compete with the best the southern hemisphere has to offer and Johnson certainly has a lot of work to do.

New Zealand on the other hand showed enough to deserve the win, the All Blacks still looked far from their best and will certainly need to up their game if they hope to fend off the French next week who will certainly offer more up front.

By Andrew Worling

After a rather dull first half display in which Keith Earls’ try was the only real highlight, Ireland stepped it up in the second half to secure a convincing win.

Earls got the first try of the game when he finished off a brilliantly worked set play after some good work by the Irish heavies in an attacking scrum.

Impressive young flyhalf Johnny Sexton nailed the resulting conversion after his earlier penalty had put the Irish in front in the 9th minute.

However, the Irish failed to kick on in what was a very disappointing first-half display from the hosts, who went in at half-time with a 13-3 lead.

Irish fans would have been hoping for an improved performance from their team in the second stanza and their team answered the call with four tries, including a second for Earls and a cameo intercept try from skipper Brian O’Driscoll.

While their work at scrum time and the Man of the Match performance from Sexton would have pleased the Irish coaching staff, their inability to truly put the islanders to the sword might be a slight cause for concern ahead of their crunch tie with the Springboks at Croke Park next week.

By Andrew Worling

In what was hardly a vintage All Blacks performance the visitors were forced to work very hard for victory over a gutsy Italian side that were outstanding on defence and at scrum time.

The pride with which the Italian players and fans alike sang their anthem, Il Canto degli Italiani, would have given the Kiwis an early indication that the Azzurri were up for a fight.

Predictably, the All Blacks looked the more threatening of the two teams with ball in hand, but at scrum time it was a different story as a formidable Italian pack piled pressure on the inexperienced All Blacks front row.

Martin Castrogiovanni, who destroyed the midweek Springboks’ front row for his club Leicester last week, once again showcased his incredible scrummaging prowess by forcing Wyatt Crockett to drop his bind in the first scrum of the game and Craig Gower nailed the resulting penalty to give the hosts the lead after just five minutes.

The Italians were playing with a great deal of passion and commitment, but their enthusiasm was getting the better of them and persistent infringements at the breakdown gave McAlister plenty of opportunities to kick his team into the lead, which he gladly accepted.

New Zealand showed a real willingness to spread it wide whenever the opportunity presented itself despite, the lack of width offered by the San Siro pitch.

The Italians’ defence was exemplary in the opening stages of the game but it was only a matter of time before the All Blacks were able to break them down, and in the end it was hooker Corey Flynn who went over in the corner after some patient build up play. McAlister missed the conversion but slotted yet another penalty to give his team a 14-3 half-time lead.

With just a couple of minutes gone in the second stanza, Nick Mallett’s men were dealt a blow when Gonzalo Garcia was sent to the bin for a dangerous challenge. However, while the resultant penalty was successful, the All Blacks failed to take advantage of their extra man as Italy stood firm even with a numerical disadvantage.

But while the Italians were doing a good a job at keeping the score line respectable, they offered little on attack and the result was never in doubt for the Kiwis.

In the final quarter of the game the All Blacks turned to the bench, bringing on the likes of John Afoa, Jimmy Cowan and Stephen Donald as they looked to finally open up the stubborn defence, but the changes failed to have the desired affect.

McAlister nailed his fifth penalty of the game with less than 10 minutes to play and from the restart the Italians put together their longest period of sustained pressure on the All Blacks defence.

But the Azzurri’s deficiencies on attack ultimately meant they were unable to find an opening and the All Blacks hung on for victory.

By Andrew Worling

The Scots got off to a great start and were good value for their 16-0 lead with time almost up in the first half. But they allowed the islanders back into the game when winger Vereniki Goneva crossed the line for his side’s only try of the game and Nicky Little’s conversion cut the deficit to just nine points at the break.

An early and controversial second-half try from centre Graeme Morrison put the hosts in a winning position. Yet despite the promise shown in the first half, Scotland were unable to kick on and close out the victory their set piece dominance deserved.

Flyhalf Phil Godman produced yet another superb performance in front of the sticks he slotted two conversions and three penalties for a personal haul of 12 points.

Robinson will be pleased with the result and some facets of his side’s play, but ultimately the former England mentor will be slightly disappointment with his players’ accuracy and some of the penalties they conceded.

By Andrew Worling

Samoa produced a valiant performance considering they had just three days to prepare for the game, and had it not been for some poor goal kicking it could have been a completely different story.

That being said, a Wales side featuring a number of members of the 2009 British Lions squad should have put the men in blue to the sword and ultimately it was a poor performance from Warren Gatland’s men.

Wales – playing in unfamiliar yellow shirts with black shorts – started the better of the two sides and dominated both territory and possession in the first half but failed to turn their dominance into points in what was a shocking first half display from both sides.

The two flyhalves exchanged penalties in the first couple of minutes before the Dragons got the first try of the game when a brilliant cross-field kick by Dan Biggar was held superbly by Leigh Halfpenny who held off the challenge of the last defender and dotted down in the corner.

Unfortunately that was as good as it got in the first 40 minutes as a combination handling errors and poor decision making spoiled any promising attacking movements.

Fa’atonu Fili got his side’s second penalty with just over five minutes to go in the first half as Wales went into the break with a slender 11-6 lead.

Halfpenny gave his side a little bit of breathing space at the start of the second stanza with a penalty from the halfway line but it was much of the same for the hosts in the second half.

The only thing worse than the rugby on display was the state of the Millennium Stadium’s pitch which was cutting up under even the slightest bit of force.

After persistent breakdown infringements referee Peter Fitzgibbon’s patience with Samoa reached its limit and he sent No 8 Henry Tuilagi to the bin in the 52nd minute. Biggar slotted the resulting penalty to give his side an 11 point lead.

With a man advantage the game started to open up for Wales, yet still they couldn’t find a way through the Samoan defence and against the run of play Seilala Mapusua pulled off a wonderful interception and ran almost the length of the field to score Samoa’s only try.

The conversion brought Samoa back to within just four points and the Cardiff crowed were stunned.

It was Samoa who looked the more threatening in the latter stages of the game and with less than eight minutes to go the Islanders had the opportunity to make it a one point game but centre Gavin Williams’ pulled his penalty attempt wide.

In the end Wales managed to hold on for the win but Gatland will be far from pleased with his players’ performance ahead of next week’s clash with Argentina.

By Andrew Worling

Steyn was once again at his best in front of the sticks at Newlands on Saturday slotting seven penalties and a drop goal for a personal haul of 24 points. While the 25-year-old was pleased with his goal kicking on the night, there are a few areas he will be working on ahead of the Boks’ second Tri-Nations clash against the Wallabies on 29 August.

‘I’m very happy with the way I am striking the ball at the moment and I think it is all down to the work I’ve been doing in practice,’ Steyn told keo.co.za. ‘But I think there is still a lot of room for improvement.

‘There are some areas of my game I am still not 100% happy with. My tactical kicking still needs work. I had one kick that went out on the full tonight, so I still need to improve there.

‘My defence is another area where I need to do some work.’

Having now started Tri-Nations games against the All Blacks and the Wallabies Steyn believes they are two very different teams who provide different challenges.

‘The All Blacks have a great pack of forwards and a very dangerous backline, while the Wallabies are very good at the breakdown and with a pair like Matt Giteau and Berrick Barnes you never know quite what to expect.’

One of the other stars for the Boks on the night was Heinrich Brussow who was once again a menace at the breakdown, where he had the upper hand over the highly rated George Smith, but the youngster believes the Boks’ efficiency at the breakdown is down to a solid group effort.

‘The Aussies are a good side at the breakdown so it’s not easy, Brussow told keo.co.za. ‘I have to give credit though to guys like Bismarck du Plessis and John Smit and I think as a team we did really well in that department tonight.’

The Wallabies were at one stage in the game reduced to 13 men, yet the Boks were unable to register any points during that time and while Brussow admits it was disappointing, he praised the Australians for their play during that period of the game.

‘We tried to take advantage when they were down to 13 men and we came close on two occasions towards the end of the first half, and we said at half-time that we needed to score during those five minutes when they were still down two men.

‘But I think they played really well when at that time and slowed the ball down, so it wasn’t easy to score points.’

By Andrew Worling, at Newlands

1 min – Morne Steyn goes high with the kick off and the Aussies clean up well.

2 mins – Penalty to the Wallabies and they decide to kick for touch .

2 mins – WALLABY TRY! Adam Ashley-Cooper finishes off the move in the corner after a well worked lineout move.

4 mins – Matt Giteau adds the extras with a great kick and the Wallabies lead 7-0.

6 mins – The Boks are yet to get out of first gear and errors at critical moments are costing them dearly.

8 mins – Penalty to the Boks. Steyn nails his kick and the Boks are on the board.

10 mins – The Wallabies are penalised again and Steyn punishes them for a second time.

13 mins – An Australian player is penalised for not releasing the ball and the Bok No 10 does what he does pest. Boks now in front by two.

14 mins – The Boks’ lead is short lived as Berrick Barnes nails a drop goal to put his side back in front.

19 mins – Boks starting to find their feet and putting together a couple of passages of good play.

20 mins – Yet another penalty to the Boks for an infringement at the breakdown. This time the ref has a chat to both captains.

21 mins – Steyn once again nails his kick and the Boks are back in the lead.

24 mins – After a great period of play from the hosts, which started with a turnover in midfield, Steyn nails a drop goal to extend South Africa’s lead.

27 mins - BOK TRY! Victor Matfield  gets the hosts first try after skipper John Smit puts through a cheeky little grubber kick off his left boot.

28 mins – This time Steyn’s radar is off and misses the conversion attempt. South Africa 20 Australia 10.

31 mins – Teams trade kicks before Steyn gets it in midfield. Looks to find touch with a deep kick, but puts it out on the full. Australian lineout on half way.

34 mins – Giteau lays in to Fourie du Preez with a shoulder while under the highball. Some ‘how’s your mothers’ break out and the Wallaby flyhalf is shown a yellow card for a moment of utter stupidity.

35 mins – Penalty to the Boks, and yet another yellow card, this time for Richard Brown for deliberately playing the ball from an offside position.

37 mins – Steyn slots the penalty to extend his side’s lead. South Africa 23 Australia 10.

40 mins – The hooter sounds and Pierre Spies is put through a gap and is on course to smash James O’Connor, but some good cover defence sees the big Bok knock on.

40 mins – That’s half-time and the Boks are in complete control.

Half-time – South Africa 23 Australia 10

41 mins – Aussies start the second half. Boks gather and Steyn thumps it back at them.

44 mins – Wallabies counter attack after Boks drop out. Visitors now back to full compliment.

45 mins – Hosts nick yet another lineout.

48 mins – Box kick from the Wallabies and the hosts regather. Steyn pumps the ball into the corner – 10 metres from the Aussie tryline.

52 mins – Danie Rossouw on the field now in place of Juan Smith who took a heavy knock in the first half.

54 mins – Penalty to the Boks in a kickable position as the visitors are blown up for yet another breakdown infringement.

55 mins – Steyn nails the penalty and the Boks lead by 16 points.

56 mins – Some brilliant chasing by Morne Steyn and it’s a scrum to the Boks in front of the sticks five metres from the Aussie tryline.

58  mins – Boks are penalised and the chance is gone. Good clearing kick from the Wallabies.

59 mins – Australia look to put together a set move from the lineout, but the ball is passed forward. Scrum to the Boks just inside Wallaby territory.

62 mins – Penatly to the Boks and Steyn kicks it out on half way.

64 mins – A huge hit from Bakkies Botha on Giteau gets a loud response from the Newlands crowd. Springbok scrum.

65 mins – WALLABY TRY! The ball comes to Giteau from an attacking scrum. He steps a couple of defenders and stretches out an arm to score next the the upright.

66 mins – Giteau quickly adds the extras and the Wallabies trail by just nine points now.

70 mins – The Wallaby pivot looks to peg the hosts deep in their own half but his kick is too long and it’s a scrum to South Africa on half way.

74 mins – Boks put together a good passage of play, but squander possession just metres short of the tryline.

78 mins – A good kick chase from Brian Habana. The Bok flyer is tackled without the ball and it’s a penalty to the hosts. Boks kick for touch.

79 mins – Yet another penalty to the Boks and this time George Smith is shown a yellow card. Steyn points to the sticks.

79 mins – Steyn nails the kick and the game is all but over.

80 mins – The hooter goes and the visitors have the possession, but yet another handling error brings the an end to the game. Boks win!

Full-time – South Africa 29 Australia 17

Springboks – 15 Frans Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 John Smit (c), 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Jannie du Pless

The coastal boys initially struggled to break down a determined Leopards outfit, but once fatigue set in for the hosts, the Sharks began to cut loose running in six tries.

The Leopards’ fighting spirit meant the defending champions had to wait until nearly half an hour’s play before they eventually went over for their first try, scored by scrumhalf Charl Mcleod from a quick-tap penalty.

Flyhalf Juan Hernandez gave a good account of himself in his first outing. Unfortunately he suffered a dead leg early in the game, and despite playing through the pain, he was replaced after half-time by youngster Guy Cronje.

Despite the lose of Hernandez the Sharks dominated the second stanza scoring 31 points. Chris Jordaan, Jaque Botes, Craig Burden and Stefan Terblanche all crossed the line for the sharks, while Mcleod bagged a brace.

While the bonus point victory sees the Sharks progress up the table, the Leopards stay rooted to the foot of the table and still searching for their first win of the season.

The match was played on a wet pitch and Boland made most of the early running, leading 6-0 after 12 minutes courtesy of two penalties from fullback Justin Peach.

But the visitors were the first team to cross the tryline when they won a turnover and quickly shifted the ball down the backline with left wing Henno Mentz, who rounded off the move.

Flyhalf Earl Rose nailed the conversion and the Lions took the lead for the first time in the game.

Boland went in to the break trailing by one point and fell further behind early in the second half courtesy of a Rose penalty. But the hosts regained the lead in the 50th minute after they were awarded a penalty try when Rose was blown up for a stiff arm tackle on Boland left wing Ernie Kruger.

Despite the offense, Rose stayed on the field and slotted three more penalties to seal the win for the Lions.

The result leaves Boland with a solitary win from their five matches this season, while the Lions improved their record to three wins from five games.

1 min – Morne Steyn goes high with the kick off which is comfortably fielded by All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw.

2 mins – Close call for Jimmy Cowan as his clearance attempt is charged down, but Stephen Donald is on hand to clean up after some sloppy line out work from the visitors.

3 mins – The Boks look to test the All Blacks’ back three under the high ball and are rewarded with a penalty after some good chasing from JP Pietersen.

5 mins – Morne Steyn nails the penalty and the Boks get the first points of the game. 3-0 South Africa.

6 mins  – All Blacks hit back straight away with a penalty of their own which Donald slots with ease to level the scores.

9 mins – A little stop-start at the moment with handling errors from both sides hampering the flow of the game.

11 mins – ALL BLACK TRY! Isaac Ross finishes on the wing after some good attacking play which started all the way back in New Zealand’s own half.

12 mins – Donald slots a tough conversion and the visitors extend their lead to seven points. 10-3 New Zealand.

14 mins – Boks hit back almost immediately as New Zealand are blown up for offside. Steyn makes no mistake with the penalty and the lead is reduced to four points.

16 mins  – Yet another penalty for the Boks as Jerome Kaino is penalised and Steyn punishes him for his poor discipline to make it a one point game.

20 mins – All Blacks seem to have a slight advantage at scrum time and they set up a good attacking move from centre field but it is brought to an end by a thumping tackle from Jaque Fourie.

23 mins – New Zealand continue to look dangerous on the counter-attack but continue to squander possession through poor discipline.

25 mins – South Africa win a scrum against the head, and Morne Steyn has a drop goal attempt but it sails wide to the left.

27 mins – The All Blacks launch a quick attack through Joe Rokocoko, but it is brought to an end by a high tackle by Pietersen on Cowan and the Springbok winger is shown a yellow card.

28 mins -Donald nails the resulting penalty and the All Blacks extend their lead to four points.

30 mins – Penalty to the home side and Ross is now shown a yellow for a professional foul.

32 mins – Steyn slots the kick to bring it back to just a single point. 13-12  New Zealand.

36 mins – BOK TRY! Some brilliant work from Fourie de Preez and he pops it off to his Bulls teammate Steyn who finishes with ease to put the Boks back in front.

38 mins – Steyn converts his own try and the hosts lead by six points and are now back to 15 men as Pietersen re-joins proceedings.

40 mins – The Boks look to launch a counter-attack with time up in the first half and are rewarded with yet another penalty. Steyn is spot on again and South Africa go into the break with a nine-point advantage.

Half-time – South Africa 22 New Zealand 13

41 mins – Donald gets things under way again. The vistors come away with the ball but a shocking pass from Ma’a Nonu brings an end to the move.

43 mins – Piri Weepu comes on fro Cowan and Keven Mealamu replaces Andrew Hore at the front of the scrum as the All Blacks look to inject some fresh legs into the game.

45 mins – The Boks continue to dominate both territory and possession at the start of the second stanza, but the visitors defence holds firm and Steyn is forced to attempt a drop goal which comes back off the post.

50 mins – All Blacks launch a dangerous attack from deep in their half, but it is halted illegally by the Boks. Bakkies Botha is sent to the sin bin for a professional foul.

51 mins  – Donald slots the resulting penalty and the Boks’ lead is reduced to six points.

55 mins – Penalty to the boks. Richie McCaw is blown up for playing the ball on the ground and John Smit has no hesitation in giving Steyn the ball.

56 mins – Steyn pops it over to restore South Africa’s nine point lead.

60 mins – Penalty to the visitors just inside their own half. Luke McAlister comes on for Donald and says he’ll have a shot.

61 mins – McAlister nails the huge penalty attempt as Bakkies Botha is back for the Boks who now lead by just six points with just under 20 minutes to play.

64 mins – Penalty to South Africa as Mealamu is penalised at the break down.

65 mins – Steyn makes no mistake yet again. South Africa 28 New Zealand 19.

68 mins – South Africa win ter another lineout against the feed and look to launch an attack in midfield but a skip pass from Jean de Villiers goes wrong and it all comes to nothing for the hosts.

70 mins -  Adi Jacobs comes onto the field in place of De Villiers.

72 mins – The Boks have a 5 metre attacking scrum as the clock continues to wind down.

73 mins – Penalty to the Boks as the All Blacks are penalised for intentionally swinging the scrum.

74 mins – Steyn nails the kick and has a new record to his name – most points by an individual in a Tri-Nations clash.

76 mins – The All Blacks look to launch an attack from deep in their half, but yet again a handling error spoils the move – summing up New Zealand’s performance on the day.

77 mins – South Africa turn to the bench as they look to wind down the clock. Skipper John Smit leaves the field to a rapturous applause in his 60th Test as Springbok captain.

80 mins – Penalty to the Boks. Steyn pushes the kick just wide – he is human after all.

Full-time South Africa 31 New Zealand 19

Springboks – 15 Frans Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 John Smit (c), 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Andries Bekker, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Adi Jacobs, 22 Wynand Olivier.

All Blacks — 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Rodney So’oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Subs: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 John Afoa, 18 Jason Eaton, 19 Kieran Read, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Luke McAlister, 22 Cory Jane.

Province went in at half time with a 15-0 lead and put their foot down in the second stanza running in five tries to seal a comprehensive bonus-point victory.

Skipper Watson and flyhalf Willem de Waal were the stars for the hosts as Watson crossed the chalk on three occasions while De Waal kicked five successful conversions in a personal haul of 18 points.

Province would have been hoping for a shut-out win, but that went out the window with 13 minutes left when centre Deon van Rensburg scored a consolation try for the Leopards.

The win moves Western Province up to second, while the Leopards remain rooted the foot of the table.

The Bulls were the first to score through a penalty from flyhalf Francois Brummer in the third minute which was cancelled out by his opposite number Elgar Watts three minutes later.

Boland prop Jacobus Adriaanse saw yellow in the 14th minute and the Bulls, with their one man advantage, punished the visitors running in two tries to open up a comfortable lead which they failed to relinquish for the rest of the game.

Exciting young Bulls winger Gerhard van den Heever scored a try in each half as the hosts put 50 past their woeful opponents.

The bonus-point win sees the Bulls move up to second on the log – one point clear of Western Province – while Boland remain in sixth spot.

Griquas built up enough of a lead in the first half and then produced an inspired defensive effort in the second half to hold on for the victory.

The visitors led 20-7 at half-time and the Lions launched a second-half come back but ultimately fell just short as the men from Kimberley extended their lead at the top of the Currie Cup table.

Flyhalf Naas Olivier and Barry Geel grabbed tries for Griquas in the first half while Alwyn Hollenbach scored the Lions only try.

Smith rounded off a wonderful season, both personally and as part of a successful Proteas side with the highest individual honour in South African cricket – the award for SA Test Cricketer of the Year.

With the bat Smith was the leading run-scorer in Test cricket in the calendar year of 2008 and in doing so became the first South African to score more than 1 600 runs in a 12-month period.

His unbeaten 154 at Edgbaston in the fourth innings helped seal the series against England, while his century in Perth against Australia laid the foundation for the Proteas’ highest ever successful run chase and helped set up South Africa’s first ever Test series win on Australian soil.

The other major winners were AB de Villiers (ODI Cricketer of the Year and Fans’ Cricketer of the Year) and JP Duminy (International T20 Cricketer of the Year and SA Players’ Player of the Year).

The category of SA Newcomer of the Year was a hotly contested one which ultimately saw Roelof van der Merwe fend off the challenges of Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

The awards cover the period from the start of the Proteas’ tour of England last year up to the end of the home series against Australia and thus does not include the recent ICC World T20.

National team awards

SA Cricketer of the Year: Graeme Smith
SA Newcomer of the Year: Roelof van der Merwe
Standard Bank One-Day International Cricketer of the Year: AB de Villiers
Standard Bank International Pro20 Cricketer of the Year: JP Duminy
Castle Test Cricketer of the Year: Graeme Smith
KFC Taste the Action Performance: JP Duminy
SA Players’ Player of the Year: JP Duminy
SuperSport Fans’ Cricketer of the Year: AB de Villiers

Domestic awards:

MTN Domestic Championship Cricketer of the Year: Roelof van der Merwe
Standard Bank Pro20 Cricketer of the Year: Charl Langeveldt
SuperSport Series Cricketer of the Year: Imraan Khan
Domestic Newcomer of the Year: Dane Vilas
SACA Most Valuable Player: Claude Henderson
Domestic Players’ Player of the Year: Claude Henderson

The Stade Francais player admitted last week that he made up the story about being assaulted in Wellington before reports later emerged that the 20-year-old may have been punched by a French teammate.

But in the latest twist to the saga, Stade Francais president Max Guazzini revealed that the youngster had on Monday been admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

‘Journalists have even gone to his house and that of his parents,’ said Guazzini. ‘He is completely devastated, he has to be left alone.’

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans will name his Tri-Nations squad on Thursday and although Elsom is expected to be among the 30-man list, it is unclear when he will be available.

The powerful 26-year-old loose forward is currently sidelined with bone bruising in his knee.

‘Rocky is not progressing the way he would like, nor we would like,’ Deans told Rugbyheaven.com.au. ‘It’s a time thing. It’s a matter of when. It’s proving more frustrating than all parties would like. We have two games in about a month and a half. So I would like to think he would be good to go by the end of that.’

The Wallabies begin their Tri-Nations campaign on 18 July when they face the All Blacks in Auckland, but only play their next match against the Springboks at Newlands on 8 August.

Deans indicated that Elsom could be ready in time for the team’s third game in Sydney against New Zealand on 22 August.

Van der Westhuizen was rushed to Sunninghill Hospital after he collapsed at his Johannesburg home shortly after returning from Saturday’s second Test between South Africa and the Lions at Loftus Versfeld.

The 38-year-old’s publicist Bridget van Oerle said he had returned from the stadium when he collapsed with chest pains.

Mike Bolhuis – Van der Westhuizen’s private investigator – said he had been spending time with some guests on Saturday night, even though he had complained he was not feeling well several times earlier.

‘At times he held his chest,’ Bolhuis told Afrikaans newspaper the Beeld. ‘When the guests were ready to leave at about 23:00, Joost walked them to their car. Along the way, he suddenly collapsed. Luckily the people who were there with him know a lot about first aid.

‘They did mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while they waited for the paramedics. At that stage, Joost was not breathing. In laymen’s terms, he was dead.’

‘He was taken to the hospital where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. He was attached to life support machines.

‘On Sunday morning his condition had improved slightly, and the ventilator was switched off. Joost regained consciousness, but is not able to speak, and can’t remember a thing. To tell you the truth, he’s not responding at all yet,’ said Bolhuis.

According to Oerle Van der Westhuizen is in a serious but stable condition and the cause of the incident, as well as what damage has occurred, during the course of the week.

The admission of Van der Westhuizen to hospital came just hours after his former 1995 World Cup and Blue Bulls team-mate Ruben Kruger was rushed to Pretoria East Hospital in a critical condition following a car accident.

Ronel Leyds, a spokeswoman for Pretoria East Hospital, said Kruger, who recently had a brain tumour removed, was in a serious but stable condition after he was rushed to ICU following the crash.

According to an emergency worker who attended to the accident the crash took place when Kruger and his wife, Liza and two daughters Zoe (six) and Isabella (four) were on their way to their Silverlakes home following Saturday’s Test.

The former Springbok flank apparently lost consciousness and smashed into several cars before his vehicle ended up in a ditch.

1 min – Stephen Jones goes high with the kick off and Victor Matfield takes comfortably.

1 min – Penalty to the Lions. Schalk Burger shown a yellow card for an eye gouge on Luke Fitzgerald. Lions opt to kick for touch with a man advantage.

2 mins – Lions Penalty. This time they choose to kick for posts and Jones slots it with ease. 3-0 to the tourists.

4 mins – The off the ball exchanges we all expected have started early as a tussle between Brian O’Driscoll and Matfield leads a number of confrontations.

6 mins – LIONS TRY! Rob Kearney scores in the corner after Mike Phillips fired the ball out wide to Jones who sneaks it out the back to Kearney who finishes impressively. All Lions at the moment.

7 mins – Jones nails the conversion and Lions are out to a 10-0 lead.

9 mins – Burger’s back on now and just in time.

10 min - BOK TRY! What a try! Ball is thrown to the back of the lineout. The ball comes to Du Preez who slides it to JP Pietersen coming in off his wing and he runs straight through to score easily.

11 mins – Raun Pienaar’s conversion attempt strikes the upright. Lions lead 10-5.

12 mins – Lions Penalty in a kickable position. Jones makes no mistake. 13-5 to the Lions.

15 mins – First scrum of the game on the Lions 5m line.

16 mins – Lions get a penalty as the Bok scrum disintegrates. Cheers and pats on the back for Adam Jones.

19 mins  – South Africa slowly starting to get back into this game and are certainly seeing a lot more of the ball with Burger back on the field.

21 mins – Penalty to the Boks and Frans Steyn is going to have a go from a long way out.

22 mins – As usual Steyn has no problem with the distance pat the ball flies just wide and the gap remains eight points.

24 mins – Loud shrill of the refs whistle as Pietersen hits Kearney with a late hit – penalty to the Lions.

25 mins – Kearney with a drop goal attempt about 15 meters in Bok territory, but it’s well wide.

27 mins – Springbok Lineout in Lions territory and the hosts look to get their first rolling maul going, but the Lions defend well and force a turn over.

30 mins – Hard to tell who is on top at the moment. Lions still lead on the scoreboard but it is pretty tight with just 10 minutes left in the half.

33 mins – Lions deep in Bok territory now after some good work from O’Driscoll who puts Fitzgerald into some space on the wing.

35 mins – The tourists take it through the phases before Jones drops back in the pocket and pops over a drop goal. 16-5 to the Lions now.

36 mins – Bryan Habana nails Tommy Bowe with a monster tackle from the restart.

38 mins – Lions scrum on the half way mark. Quick injury break and a chance for the players to catch their breath after an incredibly physical first half.

39 mins – Lions set up a good looking attacking move from the scrum, but are penalised for obstruction and Steyn will have another shot from even further out.

40 mins – It’s over and the Boks go in at half-time trailing by just eight points.

Half-time – Springboks 8 Lions 16

41 mins – Pienaar puts up a high kick off, but Simon Shaw takes well under pressure from Matfield.

41 mins – Good field position for the Lions as Kearney fires off a wonderful touch finder. The Lions are certainly winning the tactical kicking battle.

43 mins – The Boks finally decide to keep the ball in hand and take the ball past five phases for the first time in the game.

45 mins – Gethin Jenkins leaves the field with a nasty cut around the eye after an earlier clash of heads with O’Driscoll – Andrew Sheridan on comes.

45 mins – Double blow for the Lions as Adam Jones also leaves the field holding his wrist. Uncontested scrums everyone.

47 mins – Penalty to the Boks. Matthew Rees with a high tackle on Burger.

48 mins – Pienaar misses again and the scores stay the same. Jenkins won’t be coming back again – suspicion he might have a broken cheek bone.

50 mins – Sheridan and Bakkies Botha have been at each other since the England prop came on and the ref finally has a word with the two of them.

52 mins – Lions caught offside again. Penalty to the Boks, but once again Pienaar doesn’t have the direction.

54 mins – Loud cheers ring around the stadium now as Morne Steyn removes his tracksuit and looks set to introduced to the game soon.

55 mins – Jean de Villiers looks to have picked up an injury and is replaced by Jaque Fourie.

58 mins – The game has hit a slut lull at the moment as the Springbok changes continue. Botha and Juan smith off, Andries Bekker and Danie Rossouw on.

60 mins – Penalty to the Lions and Jones makes no mistake with the kick. 19-8 to the Lions. Just as the kick goes over, Pienaar is pulled from the action – enter Morne Steyn.

61 mins – Rossouw involved in a heavy clash of heads with O’Driscoll. The big man is stumbling all over the place and is eventually replaced by Heinrich Brüssow.

62 mins – BOK TRY! Another wonderfully worked set move from the scrum and some vintage running from Bryan Habana who crosses the line for the Boks second of the game.

63 mins – Morne Steyn makes no mistake with the easy conversion attempt and the Boks trail by just four points.

66 mins – Penalty to the hosts, but Bismarck du Plessis takes a quick tap and the Boks eventually lose the ball.

67 mins – Brüssow makes an immediate impact and wins a penalty for the Boks. How can you keep this man out of the game for so long.

68 mins – Morne Steyn nails the kick and the gap is just one point now.

69 mins – Penalty to the Lions now and it is right out in front. Jones makes no mistake. 22-18 to the Lions.

72 mins – Shaw is penalised for high tackle on the Beast and Smit tells Steyn to kick for the corner.

74 mins – BOK TRY! Wonderful try from Jaque Fourie right in the corner. TMO takes his time but eventually give the go ahead and the Boks lead for the first time.

74 mins – Steyn nails the difficult conversion attempt and it’s 25-22 to the Boks. What a kick.

76 mins – Penalty to the Lions. The kicking machine that is Stephen Jones is once again on song as he levels the scores with just over three minutes to play.

79 mins – The Boks work a good field position from the restart. Steyn drops back for the drop attempt, but it’s not a good one.

80 mins – Ronan O’Gara is blown up for taking Habana out in the air. Penalty to the boks – about three meters in their own half.

80 mins – IT’S OVER! Morne Steyn nails another magnificent kick to seal the Test series for the Springboks. What a moment, what a game!

Full-time – Springboks 28 Lions 25

South Africa: 15 Frans Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Adi Jacobs, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 John Smit (c), 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Subs:16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Deon Carstens, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Danie Rossouw, 20 Heinrich Brüssow, 21 Jaque Fourie, 22 Morné Steyn.

British & Irish Lions: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O’Driscoll, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Luke Fitzgerald, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Tom Croft, 5 Paul O’Connell (c), 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Subs: 16 Andrew Sheridan, 17 Ross Ford, 18 Alun Wyn Jones, 19 Martyn Williams, 20 Harry Ellis, 21 Ronan O’Gara, 22 Shane Williams.

While the result was a comfortable one, the Wallabies were by no means at their best and France were always going to struggle to replicate the heroics they produced against the All Blacks a fortnight ago after coach Marc Lievremont was forced to make a number of changes due to injury.

Earlier in the week Lievremont claimed that Giteau had surpassed Dan Carter as the world’s premier flyhalf, and while Giteau would be the first to admit it was not one of his best games, his accuracy in front of goal was superb.

The Wallabies made a good start to the first stanza, dominating possession in the opening quarter. However, the French were doing a good job of keeping the hosts at bay with some robust defence.

The Wallabies eventually got the breakthrough on 17 minutes when some good interplay between Lachie Turner, Berrick Barnes and Matt Giteau, coupled with some poor defence from the French backs saw the Wallaby flyhalf run in for an easy finish which he converted with Aplomb to give the hosts a 7-0 lead.

While the French had the upper hand at lineout time, the scrums were an area of contention in the first half with France dominating the opening exchanges before the Wallabies began to find their feet and take control.

The breakdowns were fiercely contested and the French were more accurate early on, but their hard work was often undone by some dubious calls from referee Dave Pearson. But as the game wore on the Wallabies began to boss the tackle point as George Smith’s influence on the game started to grow.

While the Wallabies had most of the ball in the firs half, at times they looked to be trying a little too hard. Their tactical kicking which had been at the heart of their victories over Italy deserted them this time around as a number of their kicks went a stray.

Despite ever really threatening, France started to play some decent rugby towards the end of the first half and would have hoped to have carried that momentum into the next 40 minutes.

But it was not to be as poor discipline ultimately ruined their chances of a second-half come back. The French conceded penalties with metronomic regularity and Giteau was on hand to punish them kicking five successful penalties.

The Wallabies would have been pleased with their defensive work, coach Robbie Deans will know that they are capable of producing much more and will certainly have to step it up when they face the All Blacks on 18 July in Auckland.

By Andrew Worling

While the tourists’ most recent visit to Loftus ended in a shock 35-30 defeat at the hands of Northern Transvaal back in 1997, they have the upper hand over the Boks when it comes to Tests played in Pretoria.

In their four previous Test matches at the bastion of Northern Transvaal rugby, the Lions have enjoyed three victories, with the only defeat coming back in 1968.

The first meeting between the two teams at Loftus took place in1955 where the Lions hung on for a 9-6 victory while the last Test at the stadium saw the red army avoid the humiliation of a series whitewash with a 17-13 win.

Keo.co.za looks back at the four previous Tests at Loftus:

3 September 1955 – Springboks 6 Lions 9, Loftus Versfeld

The Boks made just one change to the team which ran out comprehensive winners in the second Test in Cape Town with Coenraad Strydom replacing Tommy Gentles at scrumhalf.

The hosts were not at their best, while the Lions, led by flyhalf Cliff Morgan, made fewer mistakes and deserved their 9-6 victory. The Lions stuck to a dull, yet effective, game plan while the Springboks simply struggled to ever really find their feet.

Lions centre Jeff Butterfield scored the only try of the game with Doug Baker adding a penalty, while Roy Dryburgh scored all the Boks points with two penalties.

8 June 1968 – Springboks 25 Lions 20, Loftus Versfeld

The Springboks, led by Dawie de Villiers, proved to be too good for the Lions and the final score was not a fair reflection of their dominance.

Tiny Naude, De Villiers and Frik du Preez scored tries for the hosts. Piet Visagie added two penalties and a couple of conversions while Naude also nailed two penalty goals.

Willie John McBride scored a try for the tourists and Irishman Thomas Kiernan, who was on top form in front of the sticks, slotted five penalties and a conversion.

Frik du Preez’s try was the highlight of the match. Receiving the ball from Mof Myburgh at a lineout, Du Preez slipped around several half hearted tackles before bursting clear.

Kiernan attempted to stop him, but was sent cart wheeling into touch as the great Springbok lock powered home for a wonderful try.

22 June 1974 – Springboks 9 Lions 28, Loftus Versfeld

After a fairly comprehensive defeat in the first Test in Cape Town, the Springboks made the first of many, mostly inexplicable, changes to the team which by the end of the tour saw 33 players being used in the four Tests.

The move didn’t help as the Lions pummelled the Boks 28-9 at Loftus – the biggest Test victory of the tour. JJ Williams bagged a brace while Phill Bennett, Gordon Brown and Dick Milliken also crossed the tryline for the visitors.

Two penalties and drop goal from the boot of flyhalf Gerald Bosch was all the Springboks could muster as the Lions strolled to an emphatic win.

The hosts were clearly rattled and would go on to make no less than 11 changes to the side for the third Test in Port Elizabeth.

12 July 1980 – Springboks 13 Lions 17, Loftus Versfeld

Having already lost the Test series 3-0, the Lions arrived in Pretoria off the back of a hard-fought victory over Griquas with only pride left to play for.

The Lions had been second best throughout the Test series, but they thoroughly deserved their 17-13 victory outscoring their opponents by three tries to one.

Naas Botha’s goal kicking abilities seemed to desert him on the day and at a stage where he needed just one more point to better Keith Oxlee’s record of 27 points against a Lions team.

John O’Driscoll, Clive Williams and Andy Irvine all touched down for the Lions while Ollie Campbell added a penalty and a conversion to see the Lions avoid the dubious distinction of becoming the only Lions squad to be whitewashed.

By Andrew Worling