South Africa 19-16 British and Irish Lions: Morne Stein’s late penalties win series of penalties

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The Lions won the first test, but lost the second to take the series to the winner in South Africa: (6) 19 tried: Kolbe; Pens: Bollard 2, Stain 2; con: Pollard; black British and Irish: (10) 16 tried: Owens; Pens: Russell 3; con: contact

The British and Irish Lions lost a painfully close match to South Africa as Morne Stein’s late penalty kick took them 19-16.

Steyn, 37, hit the kick that decided the 2009 series and proved he didn’t change much as he put the Springboks ahead two minutes from the end.

The Lions took the lead in the first half after Ken Owens attempted and kicked substitute Finn Russell.

Chislyn Colby’s cross and from there it was all back to the goal kicks.

Russell – who came on for injured Dan Biggar in the 11th minute – scored a long-range goal to equalize things at 13-13 with 18 minutes remaining.

He and Stein then exchanged kicks, before the Springbok 10 delivered the final blow to add the Lions’ Series to their 2019 World Cup success.

Russell made it to the occasion in the first half

It felt as if there was more than one streak on the line entering a course, focusing on the unremarkable style of the first two tests and complaints on both sides about the verdict.

The decision maker has at least introduced the late drama, but with only six attempts recorded across the series, questions may remain about the game’s ability to attract new fans in its current look.

Russell’s early entry after Biggar left with what appeared to be an injury to his right leg suggests that the Lions may have to move to a more exciting game plan than relying on fitness and kicking the first two Tests.

Scotland 10 – often described as a renegade kick-a-wise for both Racing 92 and the country – looked cohesive as he took to the field with a smile to each of his teammates.

Russell had not played for five weeks due to an Achilles injury but looked calm as he sent in a penalty straight from the middle of the list.

It would be his last kick on target in the first half as the Lions showed ambition, sending a penalty into the corner to mount Owens’ bid into a powerful stroke before achieving the conversion.

The Lions seemed confident they had the ball in hand and Russell sent two more chances to get three points into the corner – a good idea at the time that might have been proven foolish by the end result.

Pollard did no such thing and instead kept his team four points away after a successful second penalty kick before the break.

South Africa snatches a great victory

Momentum swung wildly in the first half in both previous Tests, with the Lions rebounding to win the first Test and South Africa winning in the second.

This time, neither side made a move at first as multiple pauses slowed play and the game started to lose momentum.

Lyons have made it clear during the week that they want to play with rhythm. They were stripped of that ability, but at least they stayed ahead on the scoreboard as Pollard missed two penalties.

The match was eventually revived when South Africa won the high ball again and Willie Le Roux knocked out Jack Konan, giving Colby all the space he needed to beat Liam Williams and score.

A lengthy review went on to check if the Jasper Vezzi Eight Springbok had hit the ball in the air, but the attempt was halted.

Russell – often described as a maverick due to his instinctive playing – took another step on the way to testing a fan with a penalty kick from inside the South African half to settle things at 13-13.

But the Lions immediately conceded a penalty, and Stein gave the Springboks the lead.

The Lions’ hopes were high as they hit a corner kick again 10 minutes before the end of the match, but Mako Vunipola stopped the streak.

The tourists gave Steyn another kick to kick with two minutes left, Springbok 10 once again ended the Lions’ dreams, and the defeat made it hard to accept the sacrifices players made to complete the round in a tough coronavirus bubble.

For South Africa, whose testing streak almost ended before it even began when most of the team tested positive for coronavirus during preparations and who have only taken one warm-up test since the 2019 World Cup, this is a remarkable victory.

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