The Best Boks and B & I Lions (So Far): Flanks, Flyers Shine

Flanks and flyers made the biggest impressions as the Springboks and British & Irish Lions kicked off their preparations for the much-anticipated three-Test series at the weekend, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

Nineteen months after their World Cup triumph in Japan, the Springboks finally returned from Covid-enforced limbo with a 40-9 win over Georgia at Loftus Versfeld on Friday. As expected, the men in Green and Gold were rusty for most of the first half but found their rhythm in the second to secure a comfortable win over the passionate but outclassed Lelos in the first of two Tests between the teams.

British & Irish Lions Tour: Provincial Players With Most To Gain

The British & Irish Lions hit the ground running on Saturday, scoring eight tries in a 56-14 win over their Johannesburg namesakes at Ellis Park to get their tour off to a roaring start. Taking inspiration from the upcoming Olympic Games, these players grabbed gold, silver and bronze for their respective teams:

Springboks

Pieter-Steph du Toit

It’s apropos that the biggest star of the Springboks’ all-conquering 2019 season, who went on to be anointed as the best player in the world, was once again their leading player as they returned to the Test arena. That he lit up Loftus following a career-threatening injury only added to his reputation as a freak of nature.

Du Toit operated on another level than the rest, running roughshod in what was another superhuman showing. Georgia simply couldn’t contain the barnstorming blindside flank as he ate up metres like a beastly Pac-Man and put teammates into space, most memorably, setting rookie Aphelele Fassi up for his maiden try.

All in all, the marauding 28-year-old made 55 metres from 11 carries and was immense on defence as well, making eight tackles.

Aphelele Fassi

There might not have been any fans in attendance, but Fassi nevertheless enjoyed a dream debut. On the left wing as opposed to fullback, where he plays most of his rugby at the Sharks, the 23-year-old jump-started his Springbok career by scoring with the first touch of the ball in the fifth minute and fired on all cylinders for the remainder of the match.

Fast and lanky, Fassi still had plenty of work to do when he was fed the ball by his No.7 yet made it look easy as he outstripped the cover defence and dotted down in the corner. He then turned creator when he chipped ahead for scrumhalf Cobus Reinach to collect and score, dominated the aerial battle and was rock-solid on defence.

When the dust settled, “The Weekend Special” had racked up an unrivalled 74 metres and three clean breaks to announce his arrival in international rugby in style.

A try with his first touch in test rugby ?

Aphelele Fassi ? #RSAvGEO
pic.twitter.com/0d6wqYBAzN

— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) July 2, 2021

Franco Mostert

Second-rower Franco Mostert was the other South African standout. The 30-year-old put in a massive 80-minute shift, topping the stats from a Springbok perspective for lineout wins (11), rucks hit (24), tackles (9) and turnovers (2), while he also made the joint-second most carries in the pack with seven strong surges.

British & Irish Lions

Hamish Watson

The man, the myth, the mullet! Much is made of his size, or lack thereof, and it remains to be seen if he’ll feature in the Test series. However, Hamish Watson sure did deliver in the tourists’ opening assignment, the Scottish scavenger carrying on for the British & Irish Lions where he left off as the Six Nations Player of the Championship.

Looking more than a rabid wolverine than a lion, Watson was an unstoppable force and a tireless terror. His seventh-minute try was a perfect example of why he’s known as “Pinball” as he busted two tackles to burst over the line. The hard-working back-rower had a hand in another try, was a menace at the breakdown and made an unrivalled 16 tackles, none bigger than his dominant hit on Dan Kriel, to earn the Man of the Match award.

Josh Adams

The Welshman was a try-scoring machine, crossing the whitewash on four occasions. Two were simple run-ins, but the others were top-notch finishes as he both waltzed past and blitzed would-be tacklers at full flight. All in all, the left-wing ran for 116 metres to stake his claim for a starting berth for the Test series.

Four tries. FOUR. ?

What a performance from the Fans' Man of the Match @JoshAdams951 last night ?

He made it five tries in two matches ?
#LionsRugby #CastleLionsSeries #LionsSA2021 pic.twitter.com/qDrzO7iM5R

— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 4, 2021

Ali Price

With tour captain Conor Murray sitting out, Price took his opportunity with both hands. The Scottish scrumhalf was a real livewire, scoring a beautiful try from a set-piece move and unleashing Adams for his first five-pointer from another. Generally, he oiled the machine with quick, crisp service and was ever-present.

Gap spotted, burners ignited, try scored ?@AlistairPrice got our third before the break on his first start ?#LionsRugby #CastleLionsSeries #LionsSA2021 pic.twitter.com/509a8pkjFf

— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 3, 2021