The Lions selection snub that the Springboks are 'happy about'
World Cup winner Schalk Brits believes the British and Irish Lions have missed a golden opportunity to boost their chances of a test series triumph over the Springboks by ignoring the inside information England forwards coach Matt Proudfoot could have delivered.
Proudfoot was at the heart of the Springbok success as forwards coach at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan where his pack destroyed England in the final in Yokohama. England head coach Eddie Jones was so impressed he asked Proudfoot to replace Steve Borthwick when the forwards coach took up the director of rugby role at Leicester.
While England’s fifth place finish in the Six Nations counted against Proudfoot, Brits is adamant that with the Springboks having to rely on many of the players who won the World Cup, the Lions have denied themselves vital inside information by assembling a new look coaching team under head coach Warren Gatland made up of Gregor Townsend, Steve Tandy, Robin McBryde and Neil Jenkins.
Gatland has left the door open to add another specialist to his coaching line up but that is likely to be New Zealander Scott Robertson rather than Proudfoot for the eight-match tour. Brits, who played against the Lions for the Barbarians in the lead up to the 2017 tour to New Zealand and famously threw a punch at Saracens teammate Owen Farrell in the game, is more than happy that Proudfoot’s inside knowledge will not be utilized against a Springbok side that has not played a test since the World Cup final.
He told RugbyPass: “Not choosing Matt is a missed opportunity for the Lions by not giving him an assistant coach role for the tour because of his experience with the Boks. We are happy about that and he is still very highly regarded in South African rugby. It was a big task for Matt to take over the scrums and line outs with England and most team’s I was involved in had to coaches for each of those key areas of the team.”
Brits has concerns about the lack of matches for the Springboks leading into the Lions series but takes some comfort from the fact key member of the World Cup-winning squad are involved in Europe’s top leagues rather than being limited to domestic rugby at home. “You need a couple of warm-up test matches to see where you are but now we are going in against one of the top teams in the game who will be hungry to come to South Africa and give the world champions a beating.
“It is not the ideal way of entering into the series but by deciding to keep the tour in South Africa has swung the pendulum in our favour and we have a good record. Most of our key guys are in Europe and the big success of our 2019 World Cup win was the alignment camps that happened well before the tournament and for the first time ever we had lots of time together. Now, we don’t have that time which means there is a bit of the unknown.
“Our European-based players do help us because it is great to have diverse experiences and you need Faf de Klerk playing at Sale Sharks and Handre Pollard with Montpellier while Jesse Kriel is in Japan.”
Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber, his assistants and the rest of the management staff, have just met with a number of leading players in Johannesburg (Lions and Bulls), Durban (Sharks), Cape Town (Stormers) and Bloemfontein (Cheetahs) during a series of camps.
'Farrell, Itoje and their Saracens teammates might be playing in the second leg of the Championship play-off final the week before the Japan game, so does that mean they might be overlooked in favour of players from the PRO14?
The @AndyGoode10 Column ???https://t.co/mxZdulYuyR
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 16, 2021
World Cup-winning head coach Rassie Erasmus, now Director of Rugby, Dublin-based assistant coach Felix Jones and Andy Edwards, head of athletic performance, joined the sessions online keenly aware the last time the Boks played was the Rugby World Cup Final against England on November 2, 2019 in Japan. Those squad members who are now playing in Japan met Nienaber and his fellow coaches online on Thursday, and next week is the turn of the players based in England and France.
The Lions are planning to go ahead with the July and August tour despite the coronavirus pandemic, but an original schedule consisting of a June warm-up against Japan in Edinburgh and an eight-match tour culminating with three Tests against the world champions could be revised with the possibility of creating two bubbles – one in Cape Town and the other in Johannesburg while the touring party are building up to games in those areas.
Comments on RugbyPass
Steve Borthwick deserves credit for releasing the shackles on his England side and letting them play in a manner that somewhat resembles the top sides in the Gallagher Premiership. Will they revert to type in New Zealand in July.?
27 Go to commentsJames Lowe wouldn't get in any other 6N team. He's a great example of Farrell’s brilliance, and the Irish system. He is slow. His footwork is poor. But he fits perfectly in that Irish system, and has a superb impact. But put him in another team, and he'll look bang average.
4 Go to commentsCrusaders reached their heights through recruitment of North Island players, often leaving those NI teams bereft of key players. Example: Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock robbed the Canes of their lineout and AB locks. For years the Canes have struggled at lock. This rabid recruitment was iniated by rule changes by a Crusader dominated NZR Head Office. Now this aggressive recruitment has back-fired, going after young inside back Hamilton Boys stars. They now have 4 Chiefs region 10s and not one with the requisite experience at Super level. Problems of their own making!
2 Go to commentsOver rated for a long time…exposed at scrum time too.
3 Go to comments“Firing me” should have been Gatland’s answer.
2 Go to commentsFinn Russell logic: “World” = 4 countries. Ireland may be at or near the top. FR’s bigger concern should be he and his fellow Scots (incl. the Bloemfontein ones) sliding back down to below top 10
42 Go to commentsMind games have begun. Ireland learned their lesson after saying they could beat England with 13 players or whatever. Still, if they win at Loftus, that would be impressive - final frontier etc.
58 Go to comments$950k for a Prop that isn’t fit enough to play 10 mins of rugby? Surely there is someone better to replace Big Mike with
3 Go to commentsFour Kiwis in that backline. A solid statement on the lack of invention, risk-taking and joy in the NH game; game of attrition and head- banging tedium. Longterm medical problems aplenty in the future!
4 Go to commentsGood article, I learnt quite a lot. A big sliding door moment was in the mid 00s when they rejected Steve Anderson's long term transformation and he wrote Ireland's strategy instead.
2 Go to commentsHi Dr Nick! I'm worried that I've started to enjoy watching England and have actually wanted them to win their last two games. What would you prescribe? On a more serious note, I've noticed that the standard of play in March is often better than early February. Do you think this is because of the weather or because the players have been together for longer?
27 Go to commentsMy question in all this brett is who is going to wear the consequences of these actions? Surely just getting the sack isn’t sufficient? A teenager working the till at woolies would probably get taken to court if they took $20 out of the till. You mean to tell me that someone can spend $2.6 million and get away with it? Where was it spent? What companies/people were the beneficiaries etc? How is it just being talked about as an ‘oopsie’ and we all just move on and not a matter of the court for gross negligence, fraud, take your pick…
19 Go to commentslove Manu too but England have relied on him coming back from injury for far too long and not sorted the position with someone else long term . It will be a blessing he has gone . Huge shame he was so injury prone . God speed Manu .
3 Go to commentsI agree with Ben Smith about Brett Cameron. The No. 6 position has to be a monster and a genuine lineout option, like Ollivon, Lawes (now Chessum), Du Toit, etc. The only player who fits that bill right now is Scott Barrett. A fit and fizzing Tuipolotu together with one of the young towers, Sam Darry or Josh Lord, would give Razor the freedom to play Barret at 6.
16 Go to commentsOutstanding article, Graham. Agree with all of it. And enjoy the style of writing too (particularly Grand Slap!).
3 Go to commentsI wouldn't pay a cent for that loafer. He just stands around, waiting for play to come his way. He won't make the Wallabies.
3 Go to commentsGood bit of te reo maori Nic. Or is that Niko or Nikora? On the theme of trees the Oaks v Totara. Game plan would be key. I have one but it would cost you.
27 Go to comments> Shaun Edwards’ You should not have to score 30 points to win a game, as exciting as it is. This statement was surprising to me. It is nonsensical .I guess it is a defence coach speaking. But head coach, defence and attacking coaches all work together. They are inseparable. You score more than the opposition to win. It only needs to be one score. You score whatever the game demands, whatever the opposition demand. You defend whatever it takes. The attack coach needs to be able to clock up 30pts if need be.
27 Go to commentsWho’d have thought, not having Farrell & Youngs kicking the ball at every possible opportunity and playing flat and allowing your centres to run and pass would pay off? No one could possibly have seen this coming. FML. It took a LONG time coming but at least that time has finally come. England need to find a backup to Lawrence. Freeman is the best candidate for me, I see no reason why he can't play 12. He's big, strong, fast and has great hands.
27 Go to commentsLove Manu but he's not the player he was and I imagine Bayonne have paid too much money for him.
3 Go to comments