The British and Irish Lions earned their first victory of the 2021 tour of South Africa, beating the Sigma Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The B&I Lions would have come into the encounter against their South African counterparts buoyed by the fact that the last time the tourists played against the Johannesburg side, they came home 74-10 victors over their hosts.
While the opening ten minutes suggested that a similar scoreline was on the cards, a 15-minute period of good possession for the hosts, and an even better period of defence from the tourists, meant that the Sigma Lions were able to stem the scoring for a large portion of the first half.
The floodgates opened in the second half, however, as the tourists simply outclassed their South African counterparts late in the game.
British and Irish Lions Player Ratings
Wyn Jones 7/10
While they were not able to flex their muscles too much at scrum time, Wyn Jones and Kyle Sinckler would both be happy with their defensive and attacking efforts against the Sigma Lions. Jones in particular has a try taken off of him, but it was overall a strong performance from the Welshman.
Jamie George 7.25/10
Jamie George put up a massive defensive contribution, and made some decent carries in an effort to earn a space in the test XV. If it weren't for him bumbling a near certain try he would have had a near-unblemished match.
Kyle Sinckler 7/10
Almost identical to Jones in that Kyle Sinckler would have liked one or two more scrums to sink into the Sigma Lions, however his overall performance was solid, particularly on attack.
Maro Itoje 8/10
Maro Itoje bullied the Sigma Lions on their own ball, and made himself a nuisance at the lineout. His defensive shift was particularly impressive, making 90% of his tackles and earning a few turnovers that kept the hosts out of the tryline in the first half.
Jonny Hill 4/10
Perhaps almost to annoy the Irish supporters watching, Jonny Hill was near to anonymous on the park against the Sigma Lions. He was heavily involved at the breakdown, but offered little in terms of carries or on defence.
Courtney Lawes 7/10
Courtney Lawes was a mixed bag for the British and Irish Lions, as he was physically up for the battle, but that left him vulnerable to giving away penalties, one of which took five points off the scoreboard at the end of the first half.
Hamish Watson 8.5/10
Hamish Watson came out at Ellis Park looking like someone that knows that his place in the test team is not yet decided, but he laid down a strong marker for Warren Gatland ahead of that first test. His try in the first half showed his power, but it was his unseen work at the breakdown that will have impressed Gatland.
Taulupe Faletau 6/10
Similar to Jonny Hill, Taulupe Faletau was somewhat hidden in the first match of the tour in South Africa. What he did do, however, was make all of his 12 tackles, and put together some strong carries, if nothing mind blowing.
Ali price 7/10
Price took full advantage of lazy and slow Sigma Lions defence to score a superb try shortly before halftime. His biggest issue was on defence, missing a few tackles and looking to avoid making others.
Finn Russell 8/10
Finn Russell was in fine form on attack, looking to unlock the hosts with a number of clever kicks and quick steps, most of which ended in either solid meters or points.
Josh Adams 8.5/10
Scoring two tries in the second half, Josh Adams took some time to get into the match, but once he did he was dangerous with every touch, eventually scoring four tries for his efforts.
Owen Farrell 8/10
Owen Farrell ran the backline superbly from the second receiver role, whenever he touched the ball on attack it looked as if the Lions would score. It was a lapse in his defence that led to the Sigma Lions' first try, but Farrell was still a force on defence.
Chris Harris 7.5/10
Chris Harris was a brick wall in defence, causing all sorts of issues for the hosts that have a reputation for free-flowing attack. The strength of his attack was backed up by solid support lines and strong carries.
Louis Rees-Zammit 7.75/10
The 22-year-old scored a brilliant try in the first three minutes, and looked dangerous on attack throughout. After his first touch, however, he was outshone by his countryman on the other wing, but still added a few decent cameos both on attack and defence.
Stuart Hogg 8/10
Captaining on the night, Stuart Hogg added the attacking flare that was expected from the Scotsman, but it was his defensive commitment that stood out, particularly in chasing down what could have been a brilliant 80m intercept try.
Notable Sigma Lions performers: Francke Horn 7/10, Vincent Tshituka 8/10 and Rabz Maxwane 7.5/10
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