Ken Borland

Pieter-Steph du Toit

Q: How did it feel for the Springboks to be booed off the field at halftime?

PSdT: Well the first half was quite a shocker and being booed, well we fully deserved it. But we were 100% better in the second half and we showed what we can do. It’s difficult to describe the feeling when you get booed like that, but it made me a bit angry, I wanted to show that we are not that bad. If you play good rugby, then the crowd gets behind you.

Q: What went wrong in the first half?

PSdT: Us players were all on the field, but we just weren’t playing, we had no energy, we all just seemed a bit tired. I do not know why that happened in the first half, I have no explanation at the moment, except that our game plan was to work around the corner and we didn’t do that as the forwards.

Q: How did the Springboks manage to pull off such an amazing comeback?

PSdT: Eben Etzebeth and I spoke about it and we never doubted that we could win, and if you believe it then you can do it. There was a mindshift – we knew we had to win, so we had to lift our game to a different level and the changes helped too, a guy like Ruan Combrinck was man of the match after playing just 40 minutes, so that’s quite an effort. We stuck to the game plan more, the forwards came into the game and we cut out the mistakes. We made a lot of errors in the first half, we didn’t keep the ball, and Allister Coetzee and Adriaan Strauss spoke to us about that and said if this was our last Test for South Africa, how would we play? Of course they were upset.

Warren Whiteley

Q: How satisfying was that second-half comeback and how did you pull it off?

WW: We’re delighted with the win and the character we showed. We definitely felt the momentum swing early in the second half and that gave us a chance. We got quick ball and we were hitting the advantage line and so creating space out wide. We managed to keep that width, make holes in the middle and earn the right to go wide. It means a lot because we were extremely disappointed after the first half, but we showed our character in the second half, which is definitely going to be a massive confidence boost.

Q: Did you feel extra pressure coming on straight after halftime in front of your home crowd with the Springboks in a hole, and do you think you’ve secured a starting place now?

WW: Every time I step on to the field it’s a privilege and I try to make sure I use every opportunity. I didn’t feel any extra pressure, but I was highly motivated to make a difference. No, I don’t think I can talk about starting places because there are a lot of very talented loose forwards in the squad – Jaco Kriel hasn’t even played a game yet and there’s a guy like Sikhumbuzo Notshe also waiting in the wings.

Q: There’s been plenty of talk already about the win being down to all the members of the Lions team you captain who were on the field in the second half … is that why the Springboks won the game?

WW: There’s no way it was the Lions team who won the game, collectively we worked together on the game plan and the style of rugby we wanted to play. The first week together was tough, we did lots of work but lost, and this week was tough too. But slowly and surely we’re getting into our rhythm, we’re still reading and learning about each other. This was only my fifth Test, I’ve never had to link with Damian de Allende before, I’ve never scrummed behind Pieter-Steph du Toit before, so I’m still learning how to play with them.

Man of the Match Warwick Tecklenburg scores under the poles having started the sweeping move with the turnover deep in the Lions’ half.

Turning a 14-17 deficit midway through the second half into a convincing 34-17 victory over the Melbourne Rebels was a “very satisfying” proof of the character in the Lions’ team, their coach Johan Ackermann said after their weekend Vodacom SuperRugby match at Ellis Park.

The Lions tore into the Rebels in the final quarter to score two more tries and notch a comfortable win in a match that had been closely-contested until that point. Although the Lions were frustrated not to get the bonus point for four tries, their sixth win of the campaign (their most since the Cats were dissolved at the end of 2005) means they go into the final round of fixtures in 13th position.

They take on the 14th-placed Cheetahs, who are just two points behind them, but the Lions cannot finish last on the log unless the Rebels claim an unlikely bonus point victory over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.

“”We don’t want to be lying 13th, we want to be in the playoffs, but in January people were saying we wouldn’t win a game.

“We didn’t set winning six games as our goal, we just wanted to perform well, week by week, and we’ve shown that we can play at this level. The team has grown, they stay calm, there’s no panic. There’s a rustigheid even though you do get frustrated,” Ackermann said.

A lesser team might well have panicked when the Rebels dominated the third quarter to claim a 17-14 lead and really seemed to be getting into their stride.

But with the Rebels pressing hard deep inside the Lions half, flank Warwick Tecklenburg won a key turnover and lock Franco Mostert burst clear. A sweeping move then carried the home side into the Rebels’ 22, with replacement wing Lionel Mapoe, flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff and replacement prop Ruan Dreyer all prominent, before it was Tecklenburg who finished the thrilling move, which featured some wonderful offloads, under the poles.

The opposition then narrowly avoided – thanks to fullback Jack Debreczeni’s last-ditch tackle – conceding an extraordinary 60m intercept try to replacement hooker Armand van der Merwe, but Boshoff nevertheless extended the Lions’ lead to 27-17 with penalties in the 65th and 67th minutes.

That the tide had inextricably turned against the Rebels was confirmed in the 71st minute when eighthman and captain Scott Higginbotham, as ever one of the most physical figures on the field, was somewhat harshly yellow-carded for a dangerous tackle when clearing replacement lock Willie Britz off a ruck.

The penalty was kicked to touch for a lineout and Higginbotham’s opposite number, Warren Whiteley, who enjoyed another top-class game, swivveled over for a clinching try.

“It was a huge momentum swing when we were 17-14 up and putting the Lions under a lot of pressure, and then came a turnover,” Rebels coach Tony McGahan conceded after the match. “That put them in front and Boshoff then just kicked his goals. We could have had two more tries but both were just in touch, so it was small margins but I’m proud of the effort.”

The Lions had made a great start to the game with wing Anthony Volmink scoring in the second minute after centre Mitch Inman had dropped a regulation pass under his poles from the kick-off.

Boshoff, who succeeded with seven of his nine kicks at goal but had an even better day when it came to getting his backline away, then kicked a penalty after the Rebels sacked a rolling maul (8-0).

In the 22nd minute, the Lions came within a whisker of stretching that lead, but centre Stokkies Hanekom couldn’t gather a deft stab-through over the tryline from Boshoff. Instead, a try up the other end of the field gave the Rebels a foothold in the match.

Flank Scott Fuglistaller won a turnover penalty, scrumhalf Luke Burgess darted over the advantage line and the ball went wide where wing Tom English had plenty of space to show the Lions cover-defence a clean pair of heels.

English broke free again six minutes later, but Debreczeni missed a simple penalty that came at the resultant scrum, before succeeding in the 35th minute, sandwiched by two Boshoff penalties as the Lions went into the break 14-10 up.

When the Rebels gave the hosts a taste of their own medicine with flank Colby Fainga’a scoring from a rolling maul in the 52nd minute, Debreczeni converting, it was clear the Lions had a massive task on their hands to prevent the Melburnians from claiming their first win on South African soil.

By the end, there were no protests that the better side had not won.

“It was really good play by the Lions, they put a lot of pressure on us,” McGahan admitted.

The heroes for the Lions were their loose trio, which played like wild curs, while halfbacks Ross Cronje and Boshoff dished up quality ball for their backs.

South Africa’s bowlers were the heroes as the Proteas cruised to a satisfying seven-wicket victory over England in the first T20 international at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street on Saturday.

 – http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-team/news/120908/SA_bowlers_the_heroes

Dale Steyn, Johan Botha and Robin Peterson were all superb as England were restricted to 118 for seven after being sent in to bat.

South Africa were in early trouble in their reply, sinking to 29 for three before Jacques Kallis and JP Duminy killed England’s hopes with a record, unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 90 off 90 balls.

Kallis played with typical composure, breezing to 48 not out off 44 balls, with seven fours, while Duminy handled the pressure with ease and scored 47 not out off 54 balls, collecting four fours and impressing with some clever improvisations.

Defending such a meagre total, England had to strike with the new ball and they did.

Richard Levi would have sent some chills through the home camp with two flat-batted boundaries in Steven Finn’s first over, but Jade Dernbach removed the powerful opener in his first over, caught at slip as the bowler gave him no width to work with.

The out-of-form Faf du Plessis was caught cold and trapped in front for four by Finn in the third over, but AB de Villiers played a couple of glorious strokes in scoring 10 off six balls.

But he then tried to play an ambitious square-drive off Dernbach, the ball being too full and too straight for the shot, and De Villiers was caught behind.

South Africa were in serious trouble on 29 for three in the fourth over, but they had the ideal batsmen in, with Kallis the ultimate accumulator and Duminy a busy player who can keep the scoreboard ticking over without taking too many risks.

They cashed in when Ravi Bopara was brought on, Kallis collecting successive boundaries in the seventh over, but they were content to see Graeme Swann off, the off-spinner conceding just 16 runs in his four overs.

Duminy collected successive boundaries off left-arm spinner Samit Patel in the 11th over with innovative reverse-paddles and victory was achieved in the 19th over.

Steyn and South Africa’s spin pairing of Botha and Peterson had earlier restricted England to a miserable 118 for seven.

WICKETS AT REGULAR INTERVALS

Only a couple of England batsmen looked threatening as South Africa, having won the toss, produced a superb performance in the field with their impressive bowlers taking wickets at regular intervals.

Openers Alex Hales (11) and Kieswetter (25) gave England a solid enough start of 27 runs in 3.4 overs, but Botha and Peterson ripped through the middle order and Steyn was magnificent, grabbing only one wicket but conceding just 13 runs in his four overs.

The first wicket came via a run out as Hales came charging down the pitch for a quick single, Kieswetter ignored him and Kallis scored a direct hit running in from midwicket.

Botha has not played for South Africa for five months but the off-spinner immediately showed that he will considerably boost their chances of winning the ICC World T20 in Sri Lanka later this month as he claimed two for 19 in four overs.

Botha’s first ball spun sharply to trap Kieswetter lbw for 25 and South Africa captain De Villiers went on to the attack to further pressure England and make a mockery of their decision to bat the out-of-form Bopara at three.

Steyn returned to target Bopara, De Villiers put a slip in and the batsman rewarded their bravery outside the powerplay by edging the ball straight to Botha to be caught for just six.

Botha and Peterson troubled England with their changes of pace as much as anything on a sticky pitch. Bopara’s dismissal left the hosts on 50 for three in the eighth over, but their middle-order just faded away.

Their best batsman, Eoin Morgan, bottom-edged a sweep at a quicker delivery from Botha into his stumps to be bowled for 10, and young Jos Buttler (6) was bowled by Peterson as the canny left-arm spinner held the ball back beautifully and the batsman was through with his drive way too early.

Jonny Bairstow (15) impetuously holed out at long-on off Albie Morkel and when Peterson had Patel caught at long-off for four, the veteran Kallis taking a sprightly catch running in from the boundary, South Africa’s old problem of death bowling didn’t really matter with England 85 for seven.

Stuart Broad and Swann both scored 18 not out as they added 33 for the eighth wicket but the home side were never going to be favourites after that batting display.

Jacques Kallis and JP Duminy nurdled South Africa to a satisfying seven-wicket victory over England in the first T20 international at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street on Saturday.

18th over – Ravi Bopara is back but his first ball is a low full toss outside leg stump as a back-of-the-hand slower ball goes horribly wrong, and Kallis flicks it away for four.

17th over – Stuart Broad over-pitches and Kallis lifts him over mid-on for four.

16th over – Kallis gives himself some room and swishes Jade Dernbach through the covers for four.

13th over – Duminy squeezes a full delivery from Steven Finn through point for four. Finn has knocked the bowler’s end stumps with his knee again and Broad, typically, has a moan to the umpire about why it wasn’t a dead ball like in the test series. Funnily enough, Finn does it again in the over and this time umpire Rob Bailey does call dead ball … costing Duminy and South Africa a single.

11th over – Left-arm spinner Samit Patel comes on, but his first delivery is a low full toss which Duminy reverse-sweeps for four. The next delivery is full, but Duminy manufactures a splendid reverse-paddle very fine for another boundary.

7th over – A bit of width from Bopara and Kallis chops the ball behind square on the off-side for four. Bopara seems to be trying to bowl too fast, bizarrely, and his next delivery is down leg and tickled away for four by Kallis.

6th over – Kallis steers Stuart Broad past slip for four runs.

5th over – Steven Finn is targeting Duminy outside off stump, but the left-hander drives beautifully through the covers for four.

4th over – Four runs to Kallis with an edgy uppercut over the slips off Dernbach. Two balls later, AB de Villiers unveils a superb back-foot drive for four through extra cover. On the penultimate ball of the over, Dernbach drags down a slower ball and De Villiers slaps it in front of point for four more. WICKET – But De Villiers (10) targets the same area off the next ball, but the delivery is too full and too straight and he ends up getting an edge and presenting a simple catch to wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter.

3rd over – WICKET – Faf du Plessis comes and goes for four as he tries to drive Finn through midwicket, misses a straight ball and is plumb lbw.

2nd over – WICKET – Richard Levi is out for eight as he tries to chop Dernbach down to third man, but the line is too tight and he ends up edging the ball to slip.

1st over – Levi gets going with a forehand smash straight down the ground for four off Finn, and he then pulls the next delivery through wide mid-on for another cracking boundary.

England innings

England’s ailing batsmen could only muster 118 for seven against South Africa’s incisive attack in the first T20 international at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street on Saturday.

20th over – And Graeme Swann starts the final over brilliantly too as he cleverly steps across to off-stump and flicks Dale Steyn over short fine-leg for four.

19th over – Swann starts the penultimate over in fine fashion for England as he smites Jacques Kallis over extra cover for four.

18th over – Swann reaches a long way down the pitch to sweep Robin Peterson in front of midwicket for four. Stuart Broad ends the over by leaning back and whacking the ball straight down the ground for another boundary.

16th over – WICKET – Samit Patel (4) mishits a lofted drive off Peterson and Kallis comes storming in from long-off, dives forward and takes a great catch.

14th over – WICKET – Another big blow for England as Jonny Bairstow (15) just clips a fullish delivery from Albie Morkel straight to long-on.

13th over – WICKET – Peterson strikes now in his first over back. Jos Buttler (6) waltzes down the pitch to drive, but Peterson has held the delivery back beautifully and it turns past the bat to bowl the youngster.

11th over – WICKET – Eoin Morgan is deceived by a wonderful step up in pace by Johan Botha. The left-hander tries to sweep, but is beaten for pace and bottom-edges the ball on to his stumps to be bowled for 10.

9th over – Wonderful power and timing from Bairstow as he just strokes off-spinner Botha through extra cover for four.

8th over – WICKET – Ravi Bopara falls to Steyn once again! The hapless Bopara is out for six as he edges a flatfooted push at a delivery that just shapes away a bit, straight to slip. Great attacking captaincy by AB de Villiers to bring Steyn back and to have a slip.

7th over – WICKET – Botha strikes with his first ball back for South Africa in five months as Craig Kieswetter steps across to try and play the delivery to leg, but is beaten by sharp turn into him and trapped lbw for 25 off 24 balls. Morgan gets his first boundary as he drives beautifully, with superb timing, just to the right of the diving extra cover, for four.

5th over – Another wild heave by Kieswetter off Lonwabo Tsotsobe is edged over the vacant slips for four. More misfortune for Tsotsobe ends the over as Kieswetter, on 22, mistimes a cramped stroke to deep mid-on where a leaping Botha can only get fingertips to the catch at full-stretch.

4th over – WICKET – Kieswetter inside-edges Morkel into the leg-side and Alex Hales comes charging for the quick single. But Kieswetter doesn’t respond, Hales has to try and turn and make his ground, but Kallis beats him with a direct hit. Hales is out for 11 off just six balls.

3rd over – Glorious shot by Kieswetter as he comes down the pitch, giving himself room, and cracking a sweetly-timed shot through the covers for four off Tsotsobe. It prompts captain De Villiers to take slip out and Kieswetter edges a wild heave at the next delivery just past the wicketkeeper’s right hand for four! Kieswetter ends the over by heaving Tsotsobe over cow-corner for six.

1st over – Hales ends the first over with successive boundaries off left-arm spinner Peterson, whishing a sweep through square-leg and then driving beautifully through cover-point.