JOSH Adams bagged four tries as Warren Gatland‘s British & Irish Lions got off to a flyer against Sigma Lions in Johannesburg – and there is more in the locker according to the boss.
In the Lions first appearance on South African soil for the 2019 tour, Adams gorged himself and Louis Rees-Zammit, Gareth Davies, Hamish Watson and Ali Price all scored tries and Owen Farrell converted the lot in a 56-14 thumping.
The last player to score four for the Lions was another Welsh wizard – Shane Williams – who ran in five against Manawatu on the 2005 tour of New Zealand.
Scottish flanker Watson put in a man-of-the-match performance to prove he is not letting Tom Curry have the No.7 Test jersey without a scrap and Elliot Daly was lively off the bench.
Gatland made wholesale changes from the 28-10 win over the Japanese in Edinburgh last week and will use a similar tactic for Wednesday’s match against the Sharks – but Adams has more than made his mark.
“I thought the guy on the left wing did ok and I was pleased with the bench, I thought they brought some energy,” said Gatland.
“Josh knows where the try line is and I have kept saying you can’t ignore what he has achieved. He was top try scorer in the World Cup. He has got great timing at hitting the line and to get four tries is pretty special for him.
“You can’t complain. The positive thing is there are still lots of things to work on. We made 14 changes and put down a bit of a marker. We know as a group we will not be 100 per cent satisfied until we make some improvements but we know we can make those improvements.
“The boys were pretty good today. I was a bit unhappy with some of the turnovers when we tried to force things.
“It was a really positive start. The players that haven’t started are going to start on Wednesday. It is a very short turnaround but I have been incredibly impressed with the players, their attitude and the way they have been preparing for these games. We are probably still going to be a little bit rusty with making so many changes but we will see how they go on Wednesday.”
Adams, who scored seven tries in the 2019 World Cup, has Duhan van der Merwe, Anthony Watson, Rees-Zammit and Liam Williams who could all play in the Tests on the wing. But he and Rees- Zammit had the first crack in South Africa and took their chance.
Adams said: “You have not got many opportunities because it is a shortish tour and you don’t know when the next one is going to come.
“You have got to make a statement every you chance you get and hopefully I have done that.
“We started well last week against Japan and fell away and we did that a little bit of the same again. There was a long defensive set in the first half when they were battering away but we have really worked on intensity of our defence this week and it showed. In the second half our accuracy was and we scored some good tries.”
South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber would have been an interested viewer after his side put Georgia away 40-9 on Friday.
Gatland was glued to that match even though he couldn’t travel to Loftus Versfeld to watch it live, because of Covid regulations, but was not shocked by what he saw and was not scared.
He added: “South Africa were a bit rusty, they haven’t played for such a long time. When they got ahead they started to play some rugby but there is no doubt that they showed what they are capable of doing with the driven line out and strong individual running. That was something that was not unexpected from us.
“They will definitely improve next week with the combinations and spending more time together.
“We haven’t come here just to make up the numbers – if we keep improving we have got some players who have had success against South Africa in recent years, and some disappointments too and I know how motivated this group is. We are very motivated to leave South Africa with a series win.”
By ADAM HATHAWAY
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