How the Lions rated

A LATE and glorious long-range penalty in a swirling wind dragged the Lions through this compelling match in Cape Town. So soon before the first Test, it might be deemed an alarmingly shaky win. Yet there is no panic in the Lions camp because this was the match that set the tour on the road.

Western Province were superb. They came to compete and, as Luke Watson, their captain, said afterwards, they came to enjoy the “awesome experience” of playing against the British & Irish Lions. They even ditched their silly Super 14 nickname, calling themselves simply Western Province in honour of the grand history of tour matches between the two teams.

So they were worthy opponents and a Lions team containing only four or five likely contenders for the Test side did well enough to win. The Lions scored three excellent tries, there were some remarkably effective performances, they kept their heads and their spirit was massive. They may only have scraped through, they could conceivably have lost, but it was a day to savour.

Naturally, it would be unlike these Lions to tie up every loose end. Their tactics and kicking were not always brilliant, they even struggled up front until Euan Murray, the talented and maddeningly inconsistent Scotland prop, came on to deliver several reverberating drives at the scrum in the closing stages, the basis of the Lions’ victory charge.

In terms of individual performances, two men in red stood way out. Tommy Bowe is already established as the revelation of the trip to date. His clever, powerful and exuberant running created one try and landed another try for himself. Generally, there was a shrill trill of the alarm bells for Western Province whenever Ireland’s new champion wing received the ball.

In a totally different style, there were the heroic charges of Andy Powell in the forwards. Powell is often so samey in approach that you can set your watch by him. He can be horribly one-dimensional. But it seemed that the artful Lions coaches had been in his ear.

Yesterday, he was splendid. He ran different lines and angles, he offloaded in the tackle just when opponents assumed that he would try to steamroller them. It was a performance that may just make the procession into the Test team at No 8 of Jamie Heaslip less of a formality than expected.

Rob Kearney was immaculate at full-back in the strong winds, Riki Flutey added composure in midfield and Martyn Williams and Joe Worsley were excellent, Williams with his clever running and passing.

Western Province were well shut down by the Lions defence and escaped only for one, admittedly memorable, try. But they were meaty up front, they were exuberant behind the scrum and Willem de Waal kept them on the board with his kicks. Good luck to them, they did themselves proud and they did a tradition proud.

They also took a 9-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, a period of play characterised mostly by high kicking as the teams tried to sort out which way the wind was blowing. In these hairy stages Kearney was assured under the high ball, yet it was also in these stages that Western Province set out their stall.

However, Bowe came into the game in the second quarter and the Lions scored two outstanding tries. The first came when Powell took a high box-kick, moved smoothly out of the way of the chasers and set off diagonally. Williams contributed a deft flick-pass to get things moving even better and the ball was sent crisply to Kearney, who was accelerating up from full-back.