KuGompo City’s Siba Mahashe was one of the stars for a heroic Lions team when they came close to pulling off a historic win over the touring All Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
The bustling 22-year-old former Hudson Park High loose forward delivered another commanding display that has resulted in pundits tipping him to become a Springbok in the near future.
After threatening to end the All Blacks’ unbeaten tour record for most of the match, the Lions slipped to a narrow 41-35 defeat in front of 15,956 fans at Ellis Park.
Mahashe, who has been invited to Bok alignment camps, scored a scintillating try in a match Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen felt his team had done enough to win before they let it slip from their grasp at the death.
The Johannesburg side had looked set to shock the tourists before a late All Black surge.
“We lost the last 12 minutes,” a disappointed Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen said.
“You can look at it in two ways. We really proud of the first 68 minutes, or be really critical about the last 12.
“For 68 minutes we matched them with our repeated efforts. Hopefully we can fix those last 12 minutes over the next few weeks.
“Once we got tired, they got around us pretty easily. There’s definitely work to do.
“To be in the fight for 77 minutes is a proud moment. What I liked most was the feeling in the change room – we felt we let it slip.
“We’re still four or five weeks away from the United Rugby Championship season, so this is almost a restart.
“The boys will recover this week, then we’ve got two tough weeks of prep, a warm-up against the Sharks and then Leinster. It’s a sprint before the marathon.”
All Black coach Dave Rennie said his team had been pushed all the way by the Lions ahead of Saturday’s second Test against the Springboks in Cape Town.
“Tough match, I think the Lions played really well,” he said.
“They really tested us at the set-piece and especially around the breakdown and getting over the ball quite quickly.
“Not good things for heading into a Test match, but I think now the guys we had on the field, having played against the Lions team, really enjoyed it.
“We seemed a bit calm, even though there was some chaos and they were up on the scoreboard.
“So, credit to our game-drivers and the guys on the field who finished and really stayed in it and got over the line, especially in those lost few minutes.
“It’s been a juggling act, managing a wider squad, preparing for the Lions while keeping a close eye on the Boks.
“We’re pretty busy this week.
“From a coaching point of view, we’ve all been on the computers trying to get all the review stuff and key learnings.
“One advantage when you play the same team multiple times in a row is that your review is your preview, so we’ll try and utilise that time.
“There’s not a lot of downtime for the players this week, and we’re mindful that a wounded Springbok is dangerous and so we’re going to have to prepare very well and lift our game.”
Scorers:
Lions 35: Tries: Nico Steyn, Siba Mahashe, Kelly Mpeku, Erich Cronje, Francke Horn. Conversions: Chris Smith (5).
All Blacks 41: Tries: Noah Hotham, Eroni Narawa (2), Ethan Blackadder (2), Rieko Ioane (2). Conversions: Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo’unga (2).
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.