Worcester –   The Proteas received a thorough workout in the drawn three-day match against the England Lions at New Road in Worcester on Saturday.

The home team finished on 266/4 declared after 80 overs, in response to the Proteas’ first innings total of 382/6 declared. 

The bowlers all managed to run in for three spells, with Morne Morkel (1/49) and Chris Morris (1/35) the most successful and economical of the pacemen.

Keshav Maharaj, the only frontline spinner in the squad, was equally impressive as an effective holding option in his 18 overs. 

Proteas bowling coach, Charl Langeveldt, says the players will take a lot of benefits from the outing ahead of the first Test match against England starting at Lord’s on July 6th.

The squad has also been boosted by the news that Vernon Philander has been passed fit and will be available for selection for the first match.

“It was important that we got overs under the belt,” he said in Worcester on Saturday. “Our guys bowled well, besides the no-balls, we got two wickets off no-balls which is a concern. It is something that we will need to correct going forward. It has been a problem in the past but KG (Rabada) has had a few weeks off so he will hit his straps on Monday and will be ready for Thursday.  As a bowling unit I think we went well. We bowled in good areas, their batsmen batted well. 

“The guys have been playing a lot of cricket, even though it hasn’t been Test cricket,” Langeveldt said. “They have been bowling a lot in the nets and working hard on their skills. We are playing four Tests so I want the players to be fresh but in good rhythm as well. Today was a good day, most of the bowlers bowled about 10 – 15 overs.”  

The squad will travel to London on Sunday where the focus will shift to the final preparations ahead of the first Test.

Cape Town – South African sprinters were in top shape on Wednesday evening, with Wayde van Niekerk and Clarence Munyai setting world best times in the 300m event at the IAAF World Challenge Meeting in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

Van Niekerk completed the race in 30.81 seconds, bettering the global mark of 30.85 seconds set by Michael Johnson in Pretoria in March 2000, as well as his own national best of 31.03 set in Kingston in June last year. He added the unofficial world best to his 400m world record of 43.03.

Former African 400m champion Isaac Makwala of Botswana finished second in 31.44 seconds, followed by junior star Munyai into third position in 31.61 seconds, setting a world and African best in the under-20 division.

“We congratulate Wayde and his coach (Ans Botha) for their great achievement,” said Athletics South Africa president, Aleck Skhosana.

“Clocking his second world best suggests he’s on his way to achieving greater things in the 200m and 400m at the IAAF World Championships in London, England in August. They must now work harder to eliminate any mistakes they may have picked up.

“We also congratulate Clarence Munyai and his coach (Hennie Kriel) for the outstanding performance. We now believe he is going to be a leading contender for the junior title at the upcoming CAA African Junior Championships in Tlemcen, Algeria.

“Praise must also go to the support personnel in both camps for the work they are doing behind the scenes.”

In other disciplines in Ostrava, Rikenette Steenkamp set a personal best of 12.99 to finish second in the women’s 100m hurdles race, which was won by Pamela Dutkiewicz of Germany in 12.72.

Steenkamp made history as the second SA woman to run under 13 seconds in her specialist event.

Alyssa Conley also took second place in the women’s 200m race in 23.03, with Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast earning a comfortable win in 22.44.

National record holder Antonio Alkana ended fourth in the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.37, crossing the line 0.28 behind French winner Garfield Darien. Jacob Rozani was seventh in the men’s 1 000m battle in 2:20.25, with Kenyan Nicholas Kipkoech snatching victory in 2:18.51.

NOTE: The 300m distance is not recognised for official record purposes and fastest times are referred to as ‘bests’

Johannesburg – South Africa A-side coach, Johan Ackermann, praised the effort of his squad after they defeated the French Barbarians 48-28 at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Friday. 

The win secured a 2-0 sweep over the French tourists after the SA A-side won last Friday’s match in Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium. Ackermann felt the team improved massively from last week’s performance, despite having lock Ruan Botha red-carded late in the first half.

“The red card was a setback, but the way the guys responded made me very proud,” said Ackermann.

“We had to adjust and Jason Jenkins did excellently in calling the line-outs. Overall, it was a much better performance than last week and for that, credit must go to the whole group. We had much better fluency in attack. We did lose some balls in contact, but that happens.”

Ackermann highlighted some of the excellent tries his team scored and lauded the good captaincy from Francois Venter.

“We scored a couple of really brilliant tries, but it was hard work breaking down the French,” said the coach.

“Francois has proven himself as a leader and captain and that showed again tonight. He kept the scoreboard ticking with kicking penalties.”

Ackermann also endorsed the A-team concept. He coached the side in 2016 as well, against the English Saxons. He added that it’s not ideal to only be together for a short time with a squad, but said that the players will be better for the experience of facing tough international opposition.

“It was very pleasing to see how the team has grown in two weeks and how they progressed,” said Ackermann.

“I’ve always know we have the talent and depth here in South Africa. Some of the players showed tonight that they would not let Springboks down and are all capable to go to the next step.

“Playing with confidence is also very important, and tonight we saw that as our confidence improved, so did our performance. The players backed their skills and that was great.

“Time was limited to get the players ready and although a fortnight is a short time to prepare a team, because you have so many boxes to tick, our planning was good and that helped. The upside is the honour of working with players with qualities like these – it is highly rewarding.”

Ackermann applauded the efforts of the French Barbarians and said they proved a real test for his squad.

“The French did not come here to lose – they played very hard and tested our players,” he said.

“Our guys will be better because of that. The quality of the opposition is important to build depth.”

Venter, who was also involved with the SA A team in 2016, said it was a massive honour to play for a representative team.

“It makes South African rugby stronger as it provides an opportunity for the players on the fringes to be involved – I think it’s great for everyone,” said Venter.

“A number of guys has showed their intentions to play at higher honours and as players, we can feel that things are changing for the better in South African rugby.

“The vibe is good all over, the belief is coming back and we also saw that in the Boks. The coach is great working with players and we were all on the same page. That last huddle showed that we really became a team in a very short time, almost sad it is over.”

The SA A team’s tries were scored by Warrick Gelant (2), Chris Cloete (2), Ox Nche and Lionel Mapoe. Fred Zeilinga added five conversions and two penalty goals, while Jano Vermaak converted the final try in the dying moments of the match.

London – British and Irish Lions tour captain Sam Warburton was left out of the starting team to face the All Blacks in the first test of the three-match series at Eden Park on Saturday.

Ireland’s Peter O’Mahony will lead the side, with his compatriot Sean O’Brien taking the No 7 jersey. Warburton will come off the bench.

“It’s a reward for how the back row has gone,” Gatland said in a statement on Thursday. “There is a nice balance there while Peter captained the side against the Maori All Blacks and has done a good job.”

It is the second successive tour that Gatland has shown no sentimentality towards players in order to win the test series.

He dropped Ireland and Lions stalwart Brian O’Driscoll for the deciding third test against Australia in 2013, which prompted an outcry among media, fans, pundits and from the player himself. The Lions won the game 41-16.

Wales utility Liam Williams was surprisingly named at fullback after a strong game against the Waikato Chiefs on Tuesday.

Leigh Halfpenny, who had been impressive against the Maori All Blacks last Saturday has dropped to the bench with Williams offering a more incisive running option and the ability to cover wing.

Gatland has opted for a hard-running midfield combination in Jonathan Davies and Ben Te’o while England’s Owen Farrell starts at flyhalf after shaking off an injury.

England duo Elliot Daly and Anthony Watson will start on the wings. Welshman George North is not in the squad.

“We have picked a side based on form with a lot of players putting their hands up, especially from the Crusaders and Maori All Blacks games, and it was a lively selection meeting,” Gatland added.

“The win against the Chiefs was also extremely important for the squad and some players played themselves into the side.

“Elliot has been very accurate in the way he has played and we saw some excellent attacking play from Liam.

“We are excited about the 15 that take the field but also the very strong and experienced bench players who will have an impact.”

Teams

Lions

15 Liam Williams, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Ben Te’o, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sean O’Brien, 6 Peter O’Mahony (captain), 5 George Kruis, 4 Alun Wyn Jones, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Jamie George, 1 Maka Vunipola.

Substitutes: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Maro Itoje, 20 Sam Warburton, 21 Rhys Webb, 22 Jonathan Sexton, 23 Leigh Halfpenny.

New Zealand

15 Ben Smith, 14 Israel Dagg, 13 Ryan Crotty, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (captain), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody

Substitutes: 16 Nathan Harris, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Aaron Cruden/Lima Sopoaga, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown