Lions denied victory by late De Waal kick

By Ken Borland

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Emerging Springboks replacement flyhalf Willem de Waal kicked a last-gasp touchline conversion to earn his side a 13-13 draw with the British and Irish Lions at a soggy Newlands on Tuesday.

Lions fullback Keith Earls's first-half try helped the touring side to a 13-6 lead, but two long passes by De Waal split their defence in the final minute and replacement winger Danwel Demas crashed over for a try in the corner.

De Waal then tied the scores with a sweet conversion straight into a blustery gale as another torrential downpour hit the stadium.

The Lions had controlled possession for long periods but struggled to make headway against a side whose physical forwards tore into the breakdowns and were highly competent at the set-pieces.

Earls's 15th-minute try gave the Lions a 10-3 halftime lead and they seemed to have secured a narrow win when replacement flyhalf James Hook kicked a 77th-minute penalty to make the score 13-6.

But they failed to regain possession at the kickoff and the Emerging Boks took the ball through eight phases, the Lions twice being penalised for killing the ball at the ruck, before Demas went over.

The Lions led 3-0 after wingers Shane Williams and Luke Fitzgerald took the ball up with weaving runs, earning flyhalf Ronan O'Gara an early penalty.

DOMINATED POSSESSION