British & Irish Lions Player Ratings v South Africa

The British and Irish Lions roared back in the second half to beat South Africa 22-17 in a gripping first Test at Cape Town Stadium.

Here is how we rated the British and Irish Lions in their victorious test. 

Stuart Hogg - 6.5

Some good kicks throughout the game. Had a few slips on the greasy deck in Cape Town and was caught out once or twice in the backfield from clever Bok kicks. Made some good metres on attack.

Anthony Watson - 7

Elliot Daly - 5

Smashed in the early minutes of the game and just dropped short on a long-range effort. He gave away few silly penalties. 

Robbie Henshaw - 6.5

Made an excellent try saving tackle on Le Roux. Not quite as effective on attack as he has been of late but was solid defensively. 

Duhan van der Merwe - 6

Put Kolbe and co. under pressure chasing the high bombs. Grew into the game but was largely hit and miss throughout. 

Dan Biggar - 7

Kicked well out of hands with a few troubling bombs that the Springboks did not quite handle. Found his groove in the second half before being forced off with an HIA.

Ali Price - 8

His box kicking was superb. Viewed as a weakness before the game, he shone with his high balls that put Kolbe and Mapimpi under pressure. Did enough for a second test start.

Rory Sutherland - 6.5

A few penalties against him and Nyakane got the early pressure on him. Another that grew into the game and was effective around the park. A late inclusion and was solid enough.

Luke Cowan-Dickie - 6 

Usually accurate at the lineout but missed the mark twice in the first half. Helped the Lions turn the tide early in the second half with an early score.

Tadhg Furlong - 7 

Nche gave the Lion tighthead a few issues at scrum time in the early knockings. He was helped by Tom Curry to win a penalty at the scrum before half time and continued to shine from there. A strong 65-minute shift.

Maro Itoje - 9

A massive game from the second rower and arguably one of his best in a long time. Etzebeth and du Toit put a big hit on him but that did not damper his impact. Brilliant over the ball, winning a penalty when Kolisi sped away from a driving maul. Massive on both sides of the ball. 

Alun Wyn Jones - 7

A huge work rate getting stuck into everything and anything. A stock standard from the Lions' captain and spoke to the referee well too. 

Courtney Lawes - 8.5

The second-best player in the Lions pack. Huge on both sides of the ball and a solid option in the lineout. He justified his place in the test starting line up. 

Shone in the second half as the Lions took over the game.

Tom Curry - 6

Heavily penalised but that comes with the territory of an openside flanker. Threw his weight around on defence and won a nice penalty or two on the kick chase. 

Jack Conan - 7.5

Always on hand to carry into traffic and managed to gain yards. Tireless on both sides of the ball.

REPLACEMENTS

Ken Owens - 6: Busy from the minute he stepped onto the pitch. Cleaned up the lineout.

Mako Vunipola - 7: Got the better of Malherbe in the scrums at times. Good around the park too. 

Kyle Sinckler - 6: Solid impact when replacing Furlong

Tadhg Beirne - 6.5: Forced the last turnover to seal the result in a short cameo.

Hamish Watson - 5: His carries were met well by the Bok defence, lucky not see a card for his tackle on Le Roux.

Conor Murray - 6: Picked off from where Price left off.

Owen Farrell - 6: Some average kicks but controlled the game well enough to see the Lions home and slotted a penalty.

Liam Williams - 5: Quiet and almost caught out in the air by Kolbe.