Flyhalf Ronan O’Gara scored 22 points as the British & Irish Lions fought back from 18-3 down to beat Royal Highveld XV 37-25 in their opening tour match on Saturday.
The South African side, drawn from five provinces that do not play in the Super 14, surprised the Lions as they ran in two tries to lead 18-3 after 27 minutes.
The Lions showed their experience and stamina by regaining the lead with just four minutes remaining then adding a fourth try on the final whistle to extend their winning margin to a flattering 12 points.
O’Gara succeeded with all seven of his kicks at goal, four conversions and three penalties, and scored the last try in a fine all-round personal display.
Wing Tommy Bowe, Lee Byrne, who enjoyed an impressively solid display at fullback, and replacement lock Alun-Wyn Jones scored the other Lions tries.
The Highveld XV’s tries were all scored by forwards, flanker Wilhelm Koch, hooker Rayno Barnes and tighthead prop Bees Roux.
They scored the first try when they sucked in the Lions forwards with a rolling maul from a lineout and centre Hanno Coetzee created a gap for Koch with a pop-pass in the tackle, the loose forward dotting down despite being tackled by Byrne.
Fly Naas Olivier, who kicked eight points, converted then added a penalty and it was turning into an embarrassing afternoon for the Lions when hooker Barnes burst from a rolling maul and scored with hardly a hand placed on him.
The Lions dominated the final minutes of the first half and Bowe came steaming through on O’Gara’s shoulder to take an inside pass and cross for their first try in the 38th minute with the flyhalf’s conversion making the halftime score 18-10.
O’Gara’s boot became a dominant factor in the second half but the Highveld XV extended their lead to 25-13 when Roux burst through a pair of tackles to score his try.
The Lions struck back when Byrne launched an up-and-under, grubbered it ahead and re-gathered to score, then Jones crashed over from a ruck and O’Gara touched down after captain Paul O’Connell’s charge had created chaos in the defence. – Reuters