Sharks v Lions - matchtracker

FULL TIME: Sharks 3-39 Lions - The Lions record their biggest ever win over the Sharks (formerly Natal). Jamie Heaslip, Jamie Roberts and Lee Mears did their claims for a Test start no harm at all, but it was a mixed bag from Ronan O'Gara. In an overall sense, the Lions are having difficulty in the scrum and at the breakdown. They will need to get to grips with the Southern Hemisphere interpretation if they are to stand any chance of beating the Springboks.

Sharks 3-39 Lions

7.50pm: LIONS TRY - Heaslip becomes the second Irishman to score a try after he took a tap penalty and just about forced his way over the line. Hook does the needful with the conversion just before the final whistle sounds.

7.47pm: Sharks number eight Keegan Daniel joins Vickery in the sin-bin after an attempted trip on Williams. O’Gara is replaced by James Hook.

7.44pm: Phil Vickery is sin-binned for what referee Kaplan describes was ‘ at best, reckless’. The reply cuts out before we see what the Lions prop was guilty of.

Sharks 3-32 Lions

7.35pm: LIONS TRY – Lee Byrne continues to impress as he shows great speed and strength to power down the left touchline and score the fourth try of the night. A fine floated pass from O’Driscoll put the Welshman away. O’Gara kicks converts from an identical position as before.

7.31pm: O’Connell is replaced by Simon Shaw and Riki Flutey comes on for Roberts, who looks to have picked up a shoulder injury. O’Driscoll assumes the role of captain.

Sharks 3-25 Lions

7.27pm: LIONS TRY – It’s an all-Irish affair as O’Driscoll travels down the right touchline and pops the ball off to Fitzgerald who has the simplest of tasks to cross the whitewash and touch down. This time O’Gara judges the angle perfectly and splits the posts.

7.24pm: O’Connell is penalised for holding on. The Lions are starting to look a little lethargic.

7.21pm: Not for the first time the Lions are found guilty of not rolling away after the tackle. Terblanche’s kick sends the Sharks into the Lions 22, but the Tourists turn over the line out.

Sharks 3-18 Lions

7.18pm: LIONS PENALTY - Sharks openside flanker Botes is warned for ‘multiple infringments’. O’Gara lands a relatively straightforward kick from just to the right of the posts.

Sharks 3-15 Lions

7.13pm: LIONS PENALTY - O’Gara finally attempts a penalty and the Corkman makes no mistake with his effort to push the Lions 12 points clear.

Sharks 3-12 Lions

7.10pm: O’Connell is harshly adjudged to have acted illegally in a ruck. Kockott’s penalty effort from the half-way line had the right direction by drops just under the crossbar.

7.06pm: LIONS TRY - Scrum-half Mike Philips makes a brilliant break and goes past a host of retreating Sharks players to go over in the corner. O’Gara has a difficult conversion from close to the touchline, which he hooks wide on the near post side.

7.05pm: O’Gara gets the second half under way.

HALF-TIME: Sharks 3-7 Lions - The Lions head into the interval knowing they have dominated the preceding 40 minutes. The big problem seems to be at the scrum, where prop Gethin Jenkins has been repeatedly penalised. O'Gara's unwillingness to kick for goal is puzzling, and is not helping his chances of beatin Stephen Jones to the number 10 jersey.

6.53pm: The whistle goes for half-time.

6.51pm: O’Gara attempts the cross-field kick again and Byrne touches down but not until after Shane Williams had knocked on. The TMO gets the decision right.

6.49pm: A great move from the Lions back-line looks to have put Byrne in for a try but yet again the Sharks scramble and prevent the Tourists touching down. A huge hit from Heaslip earns the Lions a five-metre scrum.

6.45pm: Jones and David Wallace both go close to crossing the Sharks try-line after an initial break by Mears, but the home side defend brilliantly and manage to force a knock on. The Lions have had 80% of the possession, but they are failing to make the most of it.

Sharks 3-7 Lions

6.40pm: SHARKS PENALTY – Lions second row Alun-Wyn Jones knocks on at a line out. A second scrum goes down and referee Kaplan deems the Lions are more at fault. Sharks scrum-half Rory Kockott lands a kick from 30 metres out and to the left of the posts.

Sharks 0-7 Lions

6.34pm: LIONS TRY – Hooker Lee Mears dives over after Philips made a half-break and Heaslip took over on the Welshman’s shoulder. O’Gara makes no mistake with the conversion.

6.33pm: For the third time O’Gara turns down a kickable penalty and instead kicks to touch.

6.30pm: O’Driscoll makes a great interception and almost scores a brilliant try after a long sprint but is caught just before the line and the Lions are then punished for a knock on. A younger O’Driscoll would have had the legs to make it.

6.29pm: Terblanche atones for his earlier mistake by sending a huge kick into touch inside the Lions’ 22.

6.27pm: Sharks centre Swanepoel is hurt as O’Gara kicks another penalty to touch.

6.25pm: The Lions are virtually camped in the Sharks’ 22 but 15 minutes have elapsed without the scoreboard being troubled.

6.23pm: Terblanche gets a clearance hopelessly wrong as it travels over the end line and the Lions get a scrum deep in Sharks territory.

6.22pm: Jamie Heaslip takes a tap penalty and crosses the whitewash but the Sharks do well to hold the Leinster back row up.

6.20pm: Lions centre Jamie Roberts makes a terrific charge after the Sharks mess up a line out. Brian O’Driscoll is up in support but he sends a poor pass behind Luke Fitzgerald on the wing and out into touch. Good stuff from Roberts, though.

6.18pm: The Lions spend some time near the Sharks’ try-line but the Lions scrum-half dallies at a ruck and the home team turn the ball over before the Lions concede a penalty.

6.17pm: O’Gara attempts a cross-field kick into the corner but there is no Lions team-mate to take advantage. However, it does result in a line-out for the Tourists.

6.14pm: The Lions get another penalty on the 22 near the right touchline. O’Gara kicks for the corner rather than risk an attempt in the difficult conditions. The Lions win the line-out but the Sharks hold them up just before the line and possession is turned over.

6.12pm: The Lions get the first penalty of the game as the Sharks fail to roll away from a tackle. Lee Byrne sends an excellent angled kick into touch.

6.11pm: Terblanche kicks off for the Sharks and the game is under way in windy Durban

Captain Paul O'Connell leads the Lions out. They look like men who know they have a lot to play for. O'Connell gives his last instructions as they bind together in a huddle.

The Sharks are without nine of their ten Springbok players. Prop Pieter-Deon Carstens is the only man that has been released.

5.55pm: Lions head coach Ian McGeechan says that the team to play the first Test on Saturday week will be revealed to the squad next Tuesday.

5:48pm: Good evening and welcome to this evening's matchtracker. It's a big night for Munster and Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara as he looks to stake a claim for a starting place in the upcoming Tests with the Springboks.

Teams

Sharks: S Terblanche; C Jordaan, A Strauss, R Swanepoel, L Vulindlu; M Dumond, R Kockott; D Carstens, S Badenhorst, J du Plessis, S Sykes, J Muller (capt), J Botes, J Deysel, K Daniel.

Replacements: C Burden, P Cilliers, A van den Berg, M Rhodes, C McLeod, G Cronje, L Mvovo.

British and Irish Lions: L Byrne (Ospreys/Wales); S Williams (Ospreys/Wales), B O'Driscoll (Leinster/Ireland), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues/Wales), L Fitzgerald (Leinster/Ireland); R O'Gara (Munster/Ireland), M Phillips (Ospreys/Wales); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues/Wales), L Mears (Bath/England), A Jones (Ospreys/Wales), A-W Jones (Ospreys/Wales), P O'Connell (Munster/Ireland, capt), T Croft (Leicester Tigers/England), D Wallace (Munster/Ireland), J Heaslip (Leinster/Ireland).

Replacements: M Rees, P Vickery, S Shaw (London Wasps/England), J Worsley, M Blair, R Flutey, J Hook.

Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa).