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The British & Irish Lions player scapegoated for Boks series loss
Rugby matches can pivot on the smallest of moments and the British and Irish Lions tours are no different. In 2009, Ireland fly-half Ronan O’Gara was the fall guy. In the secont Test, O’Gara got bumped out of the road by winger Jacques Fourie for the Springboks’ 73rd-minute try in Pretoria, which put them in front, only for teammate Stephen Jones to level it back up 25-25 in the 78th minute.
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A fateful chip and collect attempt with thirty seconds on the clock then saw the then-Munster player clatter in the airborne scrum-half, Fourie du Preez. Morne Steyn slotted the penalty and the Boks took the series with a game to spare.
Twelve years later and the 2021 tour appears to now have its own official scapegoat, at least according to the excellent Two Sides documentary. The series, which aired this week on ITV, shed a spotlight on the tour that nearly never was and gave an insight into what management and players thought of the series, with the benefit of several months’ hindsight.
What emerged was that Liam Williams’ failure to pass to Josh Adams in the third Test was seen by Gatland – and the player himself – as the mistake that swung the series in favour of the Springboks.
Just before half-time, with the Lions already leading 10-3, Williams had an opportunity to put his fellow Welsh countryman Josh Adams clear up the right touchline and put the Lions potentially out of sight. Adams would have bet on himself to beat Willie le Roux to the Springbok tryline after scoring eight tries in four games on the tour. Instead, Williams hesitated for a split second and Springboks fly-half Handre Pollard got in a tackle.
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We loved sharing our story of the 2021 Tour of South Africa.
If you missed our docu-series 'Two Sides', all episodes are now available 'on demand' via @itvhub ?
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 22, 2022
“You have got to keep your cool, keep your composure, you have got to be accurate, this is going to come down to kick or one decision,” said Gatland when talking about the incident. “He [Williams] passes that ball, Josh scores. I don’t think they [South Africa] come back from that.”
A clearly emotional Williams was equally hard on himself. “I don’t even know why I didn’t pass it,” he sighed. The Scarlets player, who is joining Cardiff for the 2022/23 season, was asked had he spoken to anyone about the pass, one of the documentary’s final scenes.
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“I’ve not spoken to anyone about it [to nobody at all]. I cried when I got home. It’s just the way it is,” said Williams, whose voice was clearly shaking. “It’s quite tough.”
It seems incredibly harsh to blame Williams for that one mistake, not least given that Tom Curry gave away a penalty a few minutes later with the Lions about to rumble over for a maul try off a lineout. Maybe appropriately, O’Gara shared his view on Williams’ faux pas during the tour as a pundit and it was clear he was sympathic with the Welshman’s plight.
“It’s brutal, it’s ruthless, this level of the sport because the higher you go, you know the margins get smaller and smaller. There are tiny little things but I’d agree with Ian (McGeechan) in that the boys in red will be hurting as there were probably two chances to win the series.
“The first Test, they did the business and they had their foot on the throat in the second 40 minutes of the second Test but didn’t kill off South Africa. And you look at today and it probably came down to Liam Williams not hitting Josh Adams outside him to score. Those decisions cost you.
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“In cup rugby, it’s imperative to take your points. It’s easy when you are on the couch, but it’s not easy when your heartbeat is going up around 200 beats per minute. But that is what composure is.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Exciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
11 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
3 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
3 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
3 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
11 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
26 Go to comments