SA A edge flair-filled French Baa-Baas
A TEAM of has-beens and nobodies was the description of the French Barbarians when they arrived in Durban, but don’t let them hear you say that as the visitors turned up to play a great exhibition game in every sense of the word.
It was only appropriate that the first game of rugby at the iconic World Cup 2010 football stadium should host a game full of tries, and that was to be the case as the SA A side downed the flair-filled Barbarians 36-28 yesterday.
It was a game for the individuals in the SA A team to try to shine, and there were a few that must have caught the eye of coach Allister Coetzee, but on the night, the win would still have tasted sweet.
With very little on the line for the SA A side, and even less for the French Barbarians, the mantra for the evening under the Moses Mabhida arch was to entertain, and it was the visitors who were first into their work.
Some slick handling, and a few audacious offloads in the first couple of minutes saw the Barbarians knocking on the SA A side’s line, only for the scrumhalf Yann Lesgourgues to sneak the ball over from inches out. Sharks old boy Fred Michalak adding the extras.
The SA A side soon saw what was required in this exhibition game as a tasty inside pass saw Lwazi Mvovo break away down field, before being forced to throw the ball to Makazole Mapimpi who was hauled into touch.
The home team scragged the ball back however and Mvovo made amends by slicing through the line for the SA A side to get on the board.
The to-ing and fro-ing continued as Michalak snuck over for a try of his own, all within 14 minutes of an energetic half.
Once things had settled a bit, and the feeling out period was over, it was Mapimpi who got his revenge by taking a pass off a great Franco Marais break to make it 14-12 with the conversion missed by Lionel Cronjé.
The spark was finally ignited as the offloads flowed, Cronjé with another good break from a line-out, offloading at the last minute to Sikhumbuzo Notshe to score in the corner and give the SA A team the lead after 24 minutes. More line-out moves saw Harold Vorster over as Uzair Cassiem dummied one way and then passed the other to set the centre away.
Perhaps getting a little too over-zealous with the speculative offloads and passes, SA A threw a try away as Anthoney Belleau crossed the line for the French after picking up a loose pass thrown by Cassiem.
The second half saw the Barbarians snatch the lead back through some typical Michalak Magic, threading a weighted grubber into the goal area for Belleau to dive onto for his second.
The SA A side then struck back as Vorster registered his second. A massive tighthead saw the ball back on the home side as Combrinck put in a cross kick which bobbled around before the Lions centre pounced. Cronjé nailed the kick for a slender one-point lead. Mvovo got his brace late in the match to make the result secure with Fred Zelinger converting to finish the game with an eight point win.
South Africa A – Tries: Lwazi Mvovo 2, Makazole Mapimpi, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Harold Vorster 2 Cons: Lionel Cronje 2, F red Zeilinger French Barbarians – Tries: Yann Lesgourgues, Fred Michalak, Anthony Belleau 2. Cons: Michalak 4
A sweeping 95-metre counter-attack try for Beauden Barrett broke the shackles as New Zealand romped to a 78-0 victory against Samoa at Eden Park in Auckland yesterday and sent a message to the British and Irish Lions of what to expect in eight days’ time, reports Reuters
Barrett’s try, sparked after captain Ben Smith had pounced on a dropped ball on his line, was the catalyst for the world champions to take control of the game.
Barrett grabbed a second try in the second half while Anton Lienert-Brown, Ardie Savea (2), Sonny Bill Williams, Israel Dagg, Julian Savea, Codie Taylor, Vaea Fifita, TJ Perenara and Sam Cane all crossed for the All Blacks. Barrett slotted seven conversions, while replacement flyhalf Lima Sopoaga also kicked two conversions for the home side.
Six Nations Rugby has sent the French Federation a letter of reprimand after a match against Wales in Paris in March ended with 20 minutes of added time and the hosts accused of manipulating the rules to their advantage. France won the game 20-18 with a try scored 20 minutes after the end of normal time.