Afternoon:
9°c
John Bentley has challenged the Lions to produce a moment of magic to ignite the tour when they play tomorrow night. Bentley's inspirational try for the Lions 12 years ago at the same Ellis Park ground where they will face the Golden Lions is credited as the catalyst for the eventual 2-1 Test series win.
The rugby league convert beat half the Gauteng team on his way to the memorable touchdown - just days after being taken off early as the tourists lost 35-30 to Northern Transvaal.
The 2009 Lions, who scraped a win over the Royal XV on Saturday, are also looking for a spark in the city where the former Sale and Newcastle wing knew he needed to produce something special.
Bentley said: "The South Africans are confrontational and aggressive and they do show you respect if you earn it because they are desperate to win every game.
"In 1997, we quickly discovered nobody was going to give us anything and realised it was down to what we could produce.
"I had always been a chopsy player and had gobbed off about what I was going to do and then found myself replaced with 20 minutes of the Northern Transvaal game to play.
"In some ways, that defeat was a blessing for me because it made me think about exactly what I was doing and saying. I did a lot of soul searching over the next three days and decided to keep my mouth shut and concentrate on what I had been brought on tour to achieve."
Bentley certainly lived up to his potential in the next game. The 43-year-old said: "What happened against Gauteng was hugely significant for the tour and we got the show back on the road and eventually won the Test series against the Springboks.
"I don't talk about the try very often because it's usually a case of people telling me what happened! I remember Neil Jenkins catching a kick from the opposition and I looked ahead and saw a flanker and a hooker in the 20 metre space and decided to go for it. Of course, there is an element of luck but I just attacked the space and ended up at the posts."
Bentley, who played rugby league for Leeds and Balmain, believes England wing Ugo Monye could spark the Lions.
He said: "From what I have seen of Ugo, he is equipped to cause that kind of problem for the opposition and the lad has been given some exceptional gifts and it's about giving him the chance - one-on-one - which is what rugby is all about."
As part of his preparations of the tour, Monye watched tapes of previous trips to South Africa in 1974 and '97.
Having run the 100m in 10.6seconds as a teenager, big things are expected from the Harlequins wing on the hard South African pitches even though he is vying for the Test jersey with World Player of the Year Shane Williams.
Like Bentley, Monye has needed to get used to the altitude of Johannesburg and the realisation that the locals don't rate the Lions. It will take a special try and a significant win over the Golden Lions to change South African perceptions of the current tour party and Monye is up for Bentley's challenge.
Monye said: "Watching the win over the Royal XV in our first game, you expected a few mistakes but in the last 15 minutes we showed our class and what effect the team bonding has had on the party.
"In this next game I expect a victory and a better performance I would be a fool if I wasn't ready after the preparations we have had and there are no excuses."
