British and Irish Lions Legends Tour

The quaint field of the Riverside Sports Club was ignited with world class players when the eLan South African Rugby Legends took on a determined British and Irish Lions Legend team on 18 June.

Rugby doesn’t get much better than this! Magic ball handling and experience that one can only dream of was the order for the night. On paper the eLan South African Rugby Legends team looked undeniably unbeatable and they proved just that.

The game started with both teams having plenty of handling errors. The British and Irish Lions Legends attacked the goal line of the local team for the first ten minutes but luckily the golden boat of Braam Van Straaten managed to get the eLan South African Rugby Legends out of trouble.

The game was impressively fast and once the teams settled; the skills level impressed the massive crowd that came down to support. Crunching tackles that could be heard from the touchline made it hard to believe that this was in actual fact a Legends game.

Former Springbok Sevens player, Dieter Kriese opened proceedings for the eLan South African Rugby Legends running in an easy break away try. Van Straaten converted convincingly and every goal kick following was slotted magnificently without fail.

The first half was dominated by the Lions Legends with two breaks that resulted in tries for the South Africans, proving their dominance to the one try from the visiting players. Departing the field at half time to get liquid refreshments, the home side was leading 14-7.

The second half was equally as thrilling with the eLan South African Rugby Legends team keeping the ball alive and keeping possession forcing their opponents into their half. Opening the account in the second half was Durban North resident, John Slade, when he delighted the home crowds with a try next to the uprights. The green jerseys far outnumbered the red jerseys when awesome team work created a break down the touchline.

Former Springbok Centre, Pieter Muller cruised in for a try taking the score to 26-7. Breyton Paulse busied the scorers when he danced his way past the opposition with a chip and chase. Some careful soccer skills brought the ball under control for a spectacular touch down.

The spirit of the game was played in a tremendous fashion with friendly slap on the backs and helpful hands being offered quite evident. The final score was a victorious 42-7 to the eLan South African Rugby Legends.

This sets the platform for an interesting second test between the two sides that will be played in Pretoria next week.

Chatting after the game, Former Springbok, Scottish and Sharks Hooker, John Allan laughingly suggested, “The altitude got to the Lions? I was very impressed with the boys, what a game of rugby!”

From the other camp, Scottish Centre, Scott Hastings reported, “Tough rugby, what a physical game! But at the end of the day that is what it is all about. We didn’t have nearly enough guys on the bench and our guys were puffing quite a bit. But we all thoroughly enjoyed it!”

The teams had high profile Legends playing with Percy Montgomery, AJ Venter, Breyton Paulse, Pieter Muller, Braam Van Straaten, Robbie Fleck, Deon Kayser all wearing the eLan South African Rugby jerseys and Scott Hastings, Mark Reagan and Trevor Brennan lining up for the British and Irish Lions Legends team.

Tonight (Friday) you can join a panel of Legends players at the Legends Village Durban for an informative “From the Locker Room”. Representatives from both teams will give their opinions about the upcoming Boks Lions test match, predictions and the inside scoop on the teams. The eLan South African Rugby Legends proved that they still had what it takes when they took on the British and Irish Lions Legends at Riverside Sports Club for a hard hitting game.