Morne Steyn joined Joel Stransky as the most celebrated goalkicker in South Africa after his nerveless penalty kick sealed a series win for the Springboks over the British & Irish Lions.
Stransky sent the Rainbow Nations in raptures when his drop goal handed the Boks World Cup glory in 1995. They now have a new hero in Steyn, the Bulls' fly-half, who saw a penalty struck from inside his own half sail between the uprights to seal the 28-25 victory.
"I just went back to the basics," said Steyn who was making only his second appearance in the famous green shirt after replacing the out-of-sorts Ruan Pienaar. "When I struck it, I knew it was over,"
Steyn made his Springbok debut from the bench in the first Test in Durban, which was won 26-21 by the home side, producing a remarkable try-saving tackle on winger Ugo Monye, dislodging the ball as the Englishman crashed over the whitewash.
He came on in the 61st minute of the bone-crunching match here, with the Lions 18-9 ahead, and kicked a vital touchline conversion and two penalties.
Steyn, however, is not an unknown quantity, having top scored with 191 points for the Bulls in their Super 14 triumph.
"That was a really big kick," said the captain John Smit. "At times like those, I'm glad I only have to scrum and don't take those kicks.
"Hats off to Morne Steyn - to do that in only his second Test was massive. I was also glad he took it, after doing the damage in the Vodacom Super 14."
Steyn's feat did not come as surprise to Heyneke Meyer, his former coach at the Bulls.
"Morne Steyn did brilliantly when he came on," said Meyer.
"His up-and-unders were perfectly weighted and he showed such character with that last kick.
"His character is like a piece of charcoal - pressure turns him into a diamond.
"As soon as the penalty was given I knew he would get it, and the kick out of the corner was even better."
Steyn's effort broke the hearts of the Lions and was cruel on the tourists.
"It's certainly one of the biggest [disappointments], because I think the players deserved more. Just to see their faces afterwards was very sad," said Lions coach Ian McGeechan.
"We could be sat here with two Test victories. We haven't had the rub of the green on the field. The efforts that has been put in by the players has been phenomenal."
McGeechan now has to pick his troops up off the floor for Saturday's final Test in Johannesburg. He also has to cobble together a XV from the players who are left standing from the brutally intense second Test match,
Whoever takes to the field, McGeechan is confident his side have enough about them to win the third Test.
"There's a lot of character in this group," he said.
"People asked me the same question last week and I think they got their answer. It will be the same again.
"They're an incredible group of young men. Whatever happens with injuries, we'll be ready to win the third Test."
* With agencies
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta
List of UAE medal winners
Gold
Faisal Al Ketbi (Open weight and 94kg)
Talib Al Kirbi (69kg)
Omar Al Fadhli (56kg)
Silver
Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Khalfan Belhol (85kg)
Zayed Al Mansoori (62kg)
Mouza Al Shamsi (49kg women)
Bronze
Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi (Open and 94kg)
Saood Al Hammadi (77kg)
Said Al Mazroui (62kg)
Obaid Al Nuaimi (56kg)
Bashayer Al Matrooshi (62kg women)
Reem Abdulkareem (45kg women)
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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FANS WILL LOVE
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The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.