It was plaudits all round for replacement flyhalf James Hook, who landed a long-range 76th-minute penalty in blustery conditions to secure a 26-23 win for the British and Irish Lions against Western Province at Newlands on Saturday.

While the win was not the most convincing, it ensured the Lions kept intact their unblemished record at the halfway stage of their 10-match South African tour - one week out from the opening Test against the Springboks.

Veteran flank Martyn Williams, who took over captaincy when prop Phil Vickery went off, recalled the moment just before Hook landed his match-winning kick.

"He took the decision out of my hands," Williams said, when asked if it was a tough call to make - with the teams level at 23-all and the penalty almost 50 metres out.

"I asked him, do you fancy this, he said: 'No problem'," Williams added.

The veteran flank, who is on his third Lions tour and once famously landed a drop-goal in a Test for Wales, described Hook's efforts as "a great kick in the conditions".

"You can't ask for more for more from your kicker," he said of Hook's match-winning effort.

What made the effort even more special, according to Williams, is the pressure Hook would have felt - having missed a kick from similar distance minutes earlier.

"He was [kicking] from the wrong side with the first one, but he seemed a lot more confident with the second one," Williams said.

Captain Phil Vickery also paid tribute to Hook for preserving the B&I Lions' unbeaten record in South Africa.

The Lions had earlier scored three tries through Tommy Bowe, Ugo Monye and Martyn Williams, but Western Province fought back from 18-9 down to set up a thrilling finish.

"Credit to James," said Vickery. "As soon as you saw the contact he made, you knew he had the distance.

"The only thing that bothered me today was winning the game. It was about making sure of that. We had to go out and win that game. We didn't get it all our own way, and it says a huge amount.

"A week today is the reason why we are here - a Test match - and I just hope we go out and do ourselves justice."

365

RSS
Digg
de.li.cious
facebook