Ken Borland

The Gauteng Lions played like the team that has had more exposure to the higher level of the United Rugby Championship as they swept aside a young, inexperienced Natal Sharks XV 46-5 in their Currie Cup opener at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The Lions were captained by stalwart hooker Jaco Visagie, a man with plenty of SuperRugby and URC experience, while players like Morgan Naude, Darrien Landsberg, Jarod Cairns, Nico Steyn, Rynhardt Jonker and Gianni Lombard are also regular participants in the European franchise tournament.

The Sharks, in contrast, had captain Nick Hatton and scrumhalf Bradley Davids from last year’s Currie Cup, and centre Litelihle Bester is highly-rated as a former SA U20 star and has even played in the Challenge Cup. But the rest of the squad they brought to Johannesburg was really made up of young talents they are looking to develop further.

The youngsters started well, won the early kicking game and dominated the first seven minutes in terms of territory. But they just could not crack open a committed, physical Lions defence.

And then a poor kick by flyhalf Jean Smith, with father Franco watching from the stands, went over the dead ball line and gave the Lions their first entry into Sharks territory with a scrum. The opening try came after 10 minutes, with three more coming in the first half, the Lions going into the break 24-0 to the good.

The home side scored three more tries in the second half and coach Mziwakhe Nkosi said he was satisfied by the level of performance, whatever the large difference on the scoreboard.

“We were quite apprehensive going into this game because we didn’t have a warm-up match, but it was a good start and we will certainly take it. It was good to get the cobwebs out and get the result we did.

“We came in blind and in the first half, the ball-in-play time was so low, so there wasn’t really any flow due to all the stoppages. With guys like Angelo Davids and Rabs Maxwane on the edges, it’s best to get the ball to them sooner rather than later, and it was good to see us get on to it in terms of how we want to play.

“We were probably the more settled side, but not that much more experienced. These okes have not had much game time in the URC,” Nkosi said.

Visagie was the first to use the space out wide to good effect, finding left wing Maxwane, who then sent flank Cairns charging down the touchline to score the opening try.

Right wing Davids then sliced through a number of defenders after some scrappy play off a lineout, scrumhalf Steyn then sending a crosskick heavenwards and Maxwane leaping high to claim the ball and go over for his first try, in the 22nd minute.

Real calamity struck the Sharks in the 34^th minute, however, when wing Phiko Sobahle was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on that prevented a certain try by Davids after a blindside move by fullback Lombard. The penalty try took the Lions 17-0 clear, and they added two more tries either side of halftime as Smith was also yellow-carded for the same offence.

Maxwane was put in space again for his second try in the 39^th minute and he fed Davids for a try on Lions debut in the 51st minute. Davids had provided the initial impetus for the superb move with his counter off a Sharks kick, while impressive centre Jonker did great work down the right touchline and then cutting infield.

With flyhalf Lubabalo Dobela kicking a penalty and the conversion, the Lions were 34-0 up with half-an-hour to play.

But the Sharks were the next to score, a breakdown in the chain of communication at the back allowing Sobahle to dot down a kick through by Bester, with Lombard getting in the way of replacement flyhalf Kade Wolhuter.

Davids was running free again in the 71st minute and set up Jonker for a try, while replacement prop SJ Kotze burst through off a lineout and sent replacement scrumhalf Layton Horn over for the final try.

Sharks XV coach JP Pietersen acknowledged that he is still trying to bring this new young group together as they look to defend the Currie Cup title they won in thrilling fashion at Ellis Park last year.

“It was our first game together as a group and the average age of the team is 23. So it was a challenge for these young men. They did alright and we showed some fight, especially in defending the Lions’ mauls. But we stayed in the pressure cycle and a team like the Lions will always capitalise.

“We’ll have better cohesion next week and we’re going to be working hard together from Monday. The Sharks angle in the Currie Cup is to develop youngsters for the URC, that’s the trend in the competition.

“The defence wasn’t there today, but that does not mean it is an issue. Defence is about cohesion and trust. This Lions group have been together for three+ years and they have that synergy and understand their game better,” Pietersen said.The Gauteng Lions played like the team that has had more exposure to the higher level of the United Rugby Championship as they swept aside a young, inexperienced Natal Sharks XV 46-5 in their Currie Cup opener at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The Lions were captained by stalwart hooker Jaco Visagie, a man with plenty of SuperRugby and URC experience, while players like Morgan Naude, Darrien Landsberg, Jarod Cairns, Nico Steyn, Rynhardt Jonker and Gianni Lombard are also regular participants in the European franchise tournament.

The Sharks, in contrast, had captain Nick Hatton and scrumhalf Bradley Davids from last year’s Currie Cup, and centre Litelihle Bester is highly-rated as a former SA U20 star and has even played in the Challenge Cup. But the rest of the squad they brought to Johannesburg was really made up of young talents they are looking to develop further.

The youngsters started well, won the early kicking game and dominated the first seven minutes in terms of territory. But they just could not crack open a committed, physical Lions defence.

And then a poor kick by flyhalf Jean Smith, with father Franco watching from the stands, went over the dead ball line and gave the Lions their first entry into Sharks territory with a scrum. The opening try came after 10 minutes, with three more coming in the first half, the Lions going into the break 24-0 to the good.

The home side scored three more tries in the second half and coach Mziwakhe Nkosi said he was satisfied by the level of performance, whatever the large difference on the scoreboard.

“We were quite apprehensive going into this game because we didn’t have a warm-up match, but it was a good start and we will certainly take it. It was good to get the cobwebs out and get the result we did.

“We came in blind and in the first half, the ball-in-play time was so low, so there wasn’t really any flow due to all the stoppages. With guys like Angelo Davids and Rabs Maxwane on the edges, it’s best to get the ball to them sooner rather than later, and it was good to see us get on to it in terms of how we want to play.

“We were probably the more settled side, but not that much more experienced. These okes have not had much game time in the URC,” Nkosi said.

Visagie was the first to use the space out wide to good effect, finding left wing Maxwane, who then sent flank Cairns charging down the touchline to score the opening try.

Right wing Davids then sliced through a number of defenders after some scrappy play off a lineout, scrumhalf Steyn then sending a crosskick heavenwards and Maxwane leaping high to claim the ball and go over for his first try, in the 22nd minute.

Real calamity struck the Sharks in the 34^th minute, however, when wing Phiko Sobahle was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on that prevented a certain try by Davids after a blindside move by fullback Lombard. The penalty try took the Lions 17-0 clear, and they added two more tries either side of halftime as Smith was also yellow-carded for the same offence.

Maxwane was put in space again for his second try in the 39^th minute and he fed Davids for a try on Lions debut in the 51st minute. Davids had provided the initial impetus for the superb move with his counter off a Sharks kick, while impressive centre Jonker did great work down the right touchline and then cutting infield.

With flyhalf Lubabalo Dobela kicking a penalty and the conversion, the Lions were 34-0 up with half-an-hour to play.

But the Sharks were the next to score, a breakdown in the chain of communication at the back allowing Sobahle to dot down a kick through by Bester, with Lombard getting in the way of replacement flyhalf Kade Wolhuter.

Davids was running free again in the 71st minute and set up Jonker for a try, while replacement prop SJ Kotze burst through off a lineout and sent replacement scrumhalf Layton Horn over for the final try.

Sharks XV coach JP Pietersen acknowledged that he is still trying to bring this new young group together as they look to defend the Currie Cup title they won in thrilling fashion at Ellis Park last year.

“It was our first game together as a group and the average age of the team is 23. So it was a challenge for these young men. They did alright and we showed some fight, especially in defending the Lions’ mauls. But we stayed in the pressure cycle and a team like the Lions will always capitalise.

“We’ll have better cohesion next week and we’re going to be working hard together from Monday. The Sharks angle in the Currie Cup is to develop youngsters for the URC, that’s the trend in the competition.

“The defence wasn’t there today, but that does not mean it is an issue. Defence is about cohesion and trust. This Lions group have been together for three+ years and they have that synergy and understand their game better,” Pietersen said.

“I don’t want to call myself old,” Keshav Maharaj says in a light-hearted aside moments after being named the Proteas Players’ Player of the Year at the recent Cricket South Africa awards evening. But at 34-years-old, the left-arm spinner undoubtedly plays a key role as a figure of wisdom and maturity in a team that is going through a period of transition.

Complicating this time of change for those who play in both red and white-ball formats, as Maharaj does, is the fact that the Test, ODI and T20 squads are all in very different places.

South Africa’s Test team is fourth in the ICC rankings, but is currently in seventh position in the World Test Championship and are seriously short-changed in terms of opportunities to play the five-day format. The ODI team is third in the rankings, boosted by their encouraging semi-final appearance in the 50-over World Cup last year, but questions remain over senior players like Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje and Rassie van der Dussen and the lure of T20 leagues.

The Proteas recently achieved their best showing in an ICC global event when they reached the final of the T20 World Cup in the West Indies, but they are only ranked sixth in that format, with consistency being their main issue as the squad is constantly rotated.

Maharaj, as one of the leadership inner core (he has led the Proteas in seven ODIs and five T20s), says however that he feels South Africa are holding steady if not progressing, thanks to the refreshing influence of some new talent and the continued drive of the seniors.

“We have a good blend of youth and experience and we are finding a way to navigate not only playing international sport but also the transition period we are obviously in,” Maharaj told sportsboom.com.

“It’s not easy when you’re trying to blood talent, but there’s stability in the core, some continuity, we are finding combinations so we don’t have to suddenly look for those at World Cups. There’s role clarity from the coaches and we have two brilliant leaders in Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram.

“I don’t want to call myself old, but for us older guys it’s not always easy with new families that you see for two weeks and then you’re away for eight weeks. But we still love what we do, we are still motivated, patriotic and passionate about what we can do for the country. That’s what spurs us on.

“So with that senior core and how quickly the youngsters are coming through, it’s encouraging that we are still producing results. And the enjoyment of playing together shows too, we work as one unit, motivated to win in all three formats,” Maharaj said.

In terms of personal motivation, Maharaj is probably the complete left-arm spinner already, but he is constantly at work, tinkering and massaging his game. Dedication and work-ethic are his trademarks and in the last season he took 26 wickets in 17 ODIs, conceding just 4.21 runs-per-over; 13 scalps in 10 T20s at 6.88 runs-per-over; and he was the player of the series in the recent Tests in the West Indies, taking 13 wickets in the two matches, at an average of just 16.07.

“I love what I do and I just love the game, so I am still trying to get better and working really hard. I just keep trying to evolve whether that is mentally or in terms of tactics, or subtle changes to my bowling. That includes my batting even though that is yet to pay dividends and the form comes and goes. In cricket, 1+1 doesn’t always equal 2, that’s the way the game goes,” Maharaj chuckled.

“But I just try to be one step ahead. The easy part is getting here, the hardest thing is to stay here. So it’s not about bowling for two hours in the nets, it’s about those six-hour shifts trying to figure out your game. Because out in the middle you are responsible for your own destiny. You have to self-learn because you are alone in the middle, it’s all you, the batter and the ball.”

DURBAN (July 13, 2024) – Victorious Ireland coach Andy Farrell said he did not care apropros the debate around which team is the best in the world following his side’s dramatic 25-24 win over world champions South Africa in the second Test at Kings Park on Saturday.

Farrell instead highlighted the character of his team after replacement flyhalf Ciaran Frawley kicked two long-range drop goals in the last 10 minutes, including one on the final hooter, to snatch a series-levelling win. It was just the second time Ireland have won a Test in South Africa.

Ireland led 16-6 at halftime after a superb first-half display in which they dominated the Springboks with great physicality and high-intensity rugby. The home team came back strongly in the second half and flyhalf Handre Pollard kicked six penalties to put them 24-19 ahead after 65 minutes.

But Ireland then fought back at the death to end their season on a high.

“As far as drama goes and with the pressure we put on ourselves because we were not happy with last week’s performance, this result is right up there because it came against a magnificent team,” Farrell said. “We had to come out and perform and the character of the team came through. That’s what sport is all about.

“It’s been a 13-month season for these lads but you wouldn’t think it after tonight, and when you play for Ireland, there are no excuses. Our tussles with South Africa have been immense and we had to show guts, bravery and composure tonight. Our first half was outstanding, as good as it gets, but in the second half we made enough mistakes to last us three games. It was a complete role-reversal from last week.

“I honestly don’t care who the best team in the world is. You would not want to separate these two teams and there are probably three or four other countries who come into the conversation. World rugby is in a good state when we have this sort of competition,” Farrell said.

Having won the first Test in Pretoria 27-20 last weekend, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus was humble in defeat on Saturday, praising Ireland as a quality side who deserved their victory.

“It was a very well executed drop goal that made the difference, but I’m not surprised because that’s what Ireland do, it’s why they are such a consistent team. The best team won on the day and I thought the referee [Karl Dickson] was good tonight as well.

“We fought back from a long way, but Ireland were better than us at the end when it mattered. But if that drop goal had missed then we would have been sitting here with big smiles and talking about what a good comeback to win the series 2-0,” Erasmus said.

While South Africa scored three tries in the first Test, all their points on Saturday came via eight penalties by Pollard, and Erasmus said their attack missed the direction and authority of experienced fullback Willie le Roux, who was concussed in the second minute.

“Our attack functions better with Willie there, with his vision and feel for the game and the way he links the two centres and wings very well. We lost one specific player and a lot of attacking ability with that because we build our attack around him. So our game became very stop-start,” Erasmus said.

PRETORIA (July 6, 2024) – South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus said his team had to show plenty of grit in their hard-fought 27-20 win over Ireland at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening because they were not completely in synthesis yet.

Ireland had a second-half try by wing James Lowe disallowed by TMO Ben Whitehouse due to an earlier ruck infringement, and the 31-year-old New Zealand-raised wing was then at the centre of another tight call by Whitehouse when a 65^th-minute try by Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe was allowed.

Lowe leapt high to try and keep a penalty kick by Handre Pollard in-field, flicking it back, but Kolbe had raced up in the chase with superb pace and anticipation, hacking the ball ahead and then diving on it to score and give South Africa a 20-8 lead after the conversion. Whitehouse ruled that Lowe had released the ball before his foot stepped in touch, otherwise the Springboks would have had to come back for a lineout.

“We all knew that it was going to be a close game and although we controlled things really well in terms of speed, it was still a real grind for us,” Erasmus said at the end of the first Test. “I’m satisfied but there’s lots of hard work to be done.

“With players in Japan, the United Rugby Championship and playing in England, sometimes it’s difficult to get them all in sync. We were definitely far from perfect tonight, we were lucky and Cheslin’s try was the one that put them away. Ireland never gave up though, it was a very stop-start game for both teams.

“But against a team of that quality, I hope people can see we are trying to develop our attacking game, there will be mistakes and a lack of cohesion, but it will come,” Erasmus said.

Ireland coach Andy Farrell hailed his team for coming so close to victory after a first half in which they were dominated and trailed 8-13 on the scoreboard. But in the second half they were constantly nipping at the Springboks’ heels and giving them a hard time, scoring twice.

“South Africa deserved to win, so congratulations to them. In the first half we were just off, we gave away access for them to play their game, we were a bit passive in defence,” Farrell said.

“But there were strong words at halftime and this team showed just how courageous they are, we got ourselves back in the game because we just would not go away. Plenty of teams who were under the pump like we were in the first half, the game would have got away from them in the second half. But we stayed in the fight.

“It’s not for me to say if the TMO was right or wrong, but I did have dubious thoughts about it. But that’s life, it’s all to debate but it is what it is. It’s a difficult game to referee and sometimes it goes for you and sometimes it doesn’t. But we showed a huge amount of character,” Farrell said.

The second and final Test will be played in Durban next Saturday.