Classic Lions 19

South Africa 5

It might have no bearing on next summer's tour of South Africa, but the Classic Lions drew first blood on Saturday when they beat the Springboks in the final of the World Rugby Classic at the National Sports Centre.

Tries from Andy Ward, Howard Graham and Anthony Foley were enough to see off defending champions South Africa in a pulsating final.

It is the seventh time that the Lions have won the competition, and Saturday's win was their second in three years.

While the South Africans went into the game as a firm favourites, the Lions did what countless of their number have done before them, they produced a performance that was greater than the sum of their parts.

They defended splendidly, attacked intelligently, took on the South Africans at their own game in the forwards, and won.

"They're a quality side which we knew and it was hard going," said Lions wing Leigh Davies. "They're very physical, very quick, and are a very hard side to play against.

"But the boys fought well, and we just kept battling, and took our chances when they came."

The intensity of the contest meant that Davies was still shaking from the impact of several bone crunching tackles while the Lions were spraying each other with champagne.

"It's been great to be part of the tournament," he said. "The boys have all enjoyed themselves, the weather's been great and we won the tournament. Doesn't get much better to be honest with you."

For a game that evenutally produced four tries, it began as a rather scrappy affair with neither side finding much rhythm and even when there was half a gap the space was snuffed out as soon as it appeared.

The constant infringing at the breakdown finally became too much for referee Nigel Whitehouse who sin-binned South African Robbie Fleck.

Eventually, however, the game opened up and Ward went over under the posts after some good work by scrum-half Richard Smith created a gap in the Springboks defence. Brian O'Meara converted to put the Lions 7-0 up and they went further ahead just before the break when a spell of concerted pressure on the Springbok line finished with Howard Graham burrowing over.

The second half started much like the first, and when the South Africans did get clear they either lost the ball forward, or lost momentum with a loose pass.

Barry Pinnock should have scored when he broke clear inside the Lions' 22, but then somehow conspired to lose the ball under the posts. Robbie Fleck, however, did get the South Africans on the scoreboard moments later when he split the Lions' defence and sent Deon Kayser racing over.

Breyton Paulse missed the conversion and that was all the points the South Africans were to score. Fittingly the final word was had by Irishmen Foley, who scored his side's third try, and O'Meara who converted it from way out on the right touchline.

If the final was the main course, then the appetiser between France and Argentina was no less tasty.

In a tale of two conversions, Argentina beat France 7-5 because Matias Zuchcheri converted his own second half try, whereas Franck Comba only succeded in hitting the post after he had put France in front in the first half.

The rest of the game was largely forgettable, save for Zuchcheri and team-mate Sebastian Crispo both narrowly missing with long-range drop-goals in the closing stages.