Lions fighting fit as Boks beckon

TOMMY BOWE won more than the man-of-the-match award in Durban on Saturday – he also cemented his place for Saturday’s first test against South Africa in Durban.

Lions coach Ian McGeechan still hasn’t shown his hand for the start of the three-match series with the world champions, but Bowe has to be part of it after he played a huge role in demolishing gritty Western Province at Newlands, Cape Town, on Saturday.

Bowe’s Ospreys team colleague James Hook was the hero when he kicked a 78th-minute long-range penalty goal to secure victory, but the Monaghan man had already done the damage to a team that proved to be hugely competitive.