Boring Springboks: 5 talking points ahead of the Lions' third Test
The British and Irish Lions clash with the Springboks this Saturday in a series decider at Cape Town Stadium where a tour that has simmered with bad blood will reach its conclusion. Here the PA news agency examines five talking points heading to the final Test:
RESCUE MISSION
One of the most toxic Lions tours in history reaches its climax on Saturday, but there is still time for the rivals to rescue it from infamy by delivering a captivating finish to dispel some of the apathy generated by a dull second Test.
Warren Gatland and Rassie Erasmus have locked horns verbally and the spectacle on the pitch has been no less ugly. Erasmus, South Africa’s director of rugby, has emerged as the real villain of the series, however, and his online attacks on the refereeing will leave a bad taste that will linger for some time to come regardless of the outcome.
BORING BOKS
Even purists were reaching for the off button on their remotes in response to the endless kicking and trench warfare blighting the second instalment of the series. The Lions have contributed to the deficit of entertainment, but the Springboks are the chief culprits with a suffocating style that sucks all joy from the game.
Their former boss Peter de Villiers recently described it as “very, very boring” and Gatland has implored Saturday’s officials to stop the Springboks using the likes of injuries, cramp and stud changes to slow down the game, robbing the Lions of the chance to play with tempo and benefit from their superior conditioning.
Battle lines have hardened in the explosive Rassie Erasmus versus World Rugby standoff following a tweet from a vested interest in America#CastleLionsSeries #LionsTour2021 #LionsRugbyhttps://t.co/7S1OcfNxJU
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 4, 2021
ROLL OF THE DICE
The majority of Gatland’s Lions changes reinforce the existing game plan of setting out to match the Springboks physically but with the hope that they will have greater success after being dismantled in the second half of the last Test. Wyn Jones and Ken Owens will provide more ballast in the scrum while another Welsh duo in Liam Williams and Josh Adams will add aerial prowess to the back three and in midfield, Bundee Aki will supply muscle both sides of the ball.
But it is the selection of Ali Price at scrum-half and Finn Russell and Sam Simmonds on the bench that points to the Lions’ hope that there will be opportunities to play. Scotland magician Russell, in particular, will shoulder the responsibility of providing the magic needed to unlock the game’s most ferocious defence.
DOUBLE BLOW
How will South Africa adapt to the loss of two of its most influential players? Scrum-half Faf de Klerk and flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit have been lost to injuries sustained in the second Test and their absence is a significant boost to the Lions. Du Klerk is the Springboks’ dynamo, irrepressible and at the heart of their kicking game, while the towering du Toit is relentlessly physical at blindside flanker.
Cobus Reinach will provide more of a running threat than de Klerk, while Lood de Jager’s promotion into the pack will offer superior mauling clout, but the hosts will still feel the loss of two of their world-class players keenly.
KEEPING COOL
Gatland will send his players into one of the biggest games of their careers with strict orders to avoid any niggle. “We got a little bit embroiled in the pushing and shoving and we need to stay away from that,” he said.
It was remarkable that only Kyle Sinckler was cited from a stormy second Test that produced a host of flashpoints and while it is South Africa whose fearsome reputation precedes them, the Lions contributed fully to the catalogue of incidents that kept the officials busy. If they are to prevail, the tourists must stay composed.
The ex-England coach has had another Sportsmail column pop at the controversy everyone in rugby has been talking about #CastleLionsSeries #LionsTour2021 #LionsRugbyhttps://t.co/hc2ceaVMCG
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 4, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments