Did the British & Irish Lions get their tactics wrong in the series against the Springboks?
The RugbyPass Round Table writers answer the big questions at the end of 2021, looking back at the year that was in context to what lays ahead. Alex McLeod (AM), Tom Vinicombe (TV), Nick Turnbull (NT), Mike Rehu (MR), Ben Smith (BS), Jordan King (JK), Jack O’Rourke (JO) and Finn Morton (FM) weigh in on a range of topics on the international game and more in this end-of-2021 review.
The British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa was supposed to be a highlight of the 2021 calendar year but failed to live up to expectations as the restrictions on travel and crowds meant that the Lions supporters could not fill the stands in South Africa. The on-field rugby was also widely criticised, failing to live up to the spectacle that fans expected.
The visitors overcame a 12-3 deficit in the first half of the first test to pull off a 22-17 win, giving the Lions an unlikely 1-0 series lead. The series took a sour turn when a video of Springboks Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus criticising the refereeing decisions from the first test ended up on social media after the loss.
With the series on the line, the Springboks fought back from a 9-6 halftime deficit to a keep the series alive with a 27-9 win in the second test.
In the third and final match, the two sides were locked 16-all before a penalty gave veteran flyhalf Morne Steyn the chance to take a late lead, which he gladly took to give the Springboks a 19-16 win and 2-1 series win.
Given the Lions had the early advantage in the series, the Round table panel weighs in on whether they got their approach wrong.
Did the British & Irish Lions get their tactics wrong in the series against the Springboks?
NT: Evidently. That is easy to say in hindsight but I thought the Lions did have the team to win the series but didn’t put it together when it mattered. Was it tactics alone? Probably not, but they had their part to play.
FM: The Lions let the Springboks play exactly how they would’ve wanted to play, and the results reflected that. With the amount of talent that the Lions had to pick from, and considering how South Africa didn’t play for a year due to Covid following the World Cup, the Lions really should not have lost this series.
JK: Is the Pope Catholic? The Springboks had next to no preparation leading into the series after also having their rugby cancelled in 2020, and with all that being common knowledge I expected the Lions to use the ball and push the tempo.
Instead, they played the game at the exact pace the Springboks like to and took them on where their strengths lay.
MR: I think the British and Irish Lions did very well in even getting to South Africa and performing at the level they did. It’s become a real challenge to throw this selection together at the end of season and take on the Southern Hemisphere’s best. Throw in Covid and the lack of their partisan supporters on ground and the degree of difficulty doubled.
I don’t think you can fault Gatland’s tactics, he didn’t have time to mesh combinations together so needed a basic game plan.
BS: Winning any series is all about adjustments along the way and staying ahead of the opponent. It’s hard to argue they got it wrong in the first test, where a second half barrage of box kicks were recovered and helped the Lions swing momentum frequently and win 22-17.
But in the second test they had a free roll of the dice being up 1-0 and didn’t take it. They tried to play a dour game that didn’t pay off.
The Springboks showed more initiative and were the ones to break the deadlock through a cross-field kick to Makazole Mapimpi from Handre Pollard with no advantage. That was a ballsy play and they were rewarded for taking risk with the first try of the game from which they built a strong lead.
The Lions played a low percentage game that generated few chances in that second test. They bombed a maul try through a Tom Curry obstruction in the first half and a last-ditch try saver by Kolisi prevented Robbie Henshaw getting the ball down from a smart Conor Murray dink kick.
Only when Finn Russell was inserted early in the third test did the Lions look more threatening, finally taking the ball to the edges where the Springboks defence was weak.
If you look at all the line breaks the Springboks conceded throughout the 2021 season, they were all out wide. The outside-in rush defence was operating far below the level they did in 2019 and if the Lions had realised that earlier they may have had more success.
Only the Wallabies seemed to understand this and they were the team that scored the most tries against South Africa and won both their games against them.
TV: Undoubtedly. The Lions played straight into the Springboks’ hands and would have certainly had more success if they hadn’t reduced themselves to playing a forward- oriented, kick-heavy style. The Springboks were undercooked and that could have been exploited with a bit more creativity.
AM: As the Wallabies expertly showed, running the Springboks off their feet rather than buying into their kick-heavy tactics tended to work well, but nobody seemed to tell the British and Irish Lions, who staged one of the most dire tours in recent memory with a string of dull test matches in the Republic.
Welsh wizard Louis Rees-Zammit has aired his frustrations about the tactics used by head coach Warren Gatland against the Springboks, and with talent of that level at your disposal, you’d have to agree with the youngster that a different approach might well have yielded better rewards for the Lions.
JO: Lions tours are always marred by controversy and this year was no exception. At times it got very ugly. In the series, the Lions played right into the Springboks hand by getting into a forward-focused, low-risk battle.
This is the Boks bread and butter, and the Lions never truly challenged them with too much innovative attack. The Lions had the squad, but couldn’t gel on the field. Imagine the outcome if they started Finn Russell throughout the series.
Comments on RugbyPass
Very unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
2 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
3 Go to commentsIt’s the massive value he brings with regard team culture/values, preparation, etc. Can’t buy that. I’m hoping to see the young locks get their chance in the big games though.
10 Go to commentsAll good, Gregor, except that you neglected to mention Sam Darry amongst that talented pool of locks. In fact, given Hannah’s inexperience and the fact that Holland won’t be eligible until next year, Lord and Darry might be the frontrunners this year, to join Barrett, Tuipoluto, Va’ii and possibly Whitelock. In fact there might be room for all of them if Barrett played 6 (like Ollie Chessum).
10 Go to comments