The Springboks' win over the Lions was a dire promotion for rugby
If the series between the Springboks and the British and Irish Lions is supposed to be the pinnacle of world rugby, the game is in serious trouble.
With time ticking over 80 minutes on the clock, flyhalf Handre Pollard kicked his fifth penalty of the game to hand South Africa a well-deserved 27-9 win to tie the series ahead of next weekend’s decider.
Truth be told, however, the clash hadn’t been an 80-minute affair.
From the time the game kicked off until the final whistle was blown, less halftime, 116 minutes had eclipsed.
After the furore following last weekend’s win to the Lions (most coming via Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus’ social channels), it wasn’t a major surprise that referee Ben O’Keeffe and his officiating team agonised over every decision.
They’ve been placed under immense pressure thanks to World Rugby letting Erasmus’ tirades go unchecked and with rugby fans from around the world tuning in to catch the match, O’Keeffe was always going to be particularly fastidious.
Penalties rained in the opening quarter, with every minor indiscretion picked upon by the Kiwi referee. By the time the final hooter sounded, 25 penalties had been collectively dished out to the two sides.
It should go without saying that rugby is a complicated game and if you were to break down every single play, you’d undoubtedly be able to uncover countless indiscretions that typically go unpunished. Primarily, that’s because they have such a minor effect on the game and typically they’re evenly distributed between the two competitors on the day.
Unfortunately, Erasmus’s bleating throughout the week has put the spotlight on the officiating and O’Keeffe has been backed into a corner.
Add in the instances of foul play that were assessed during the match (though there were some that were missed), the ridiculous number of waterboys that seemed to invade the pitch every time the whistle was blown, and the technical communication issues, and it’s not difficult to see why the game ballooned out to almost two hours of ‘action’.
South African fans believe the pair have a case to answer. #CastleLionsSeries #LionsRugby https://t.co/EgIUIMViF1
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 31, 2021
And when the ball was in play, well, the resulting match we bore witness to certainly wouldn’t have won over any fans for the game.
At times it was almost difficult to tell when the referee had stopped play and when normal business had resumed, such was the stodginess of the rugby.
Both teams entered the game was ostensibly the same tactic – hoist the ball into the heavens and hope that the opposition makes a mistake.
Every bout of possession seemed to result in two or three carries from forwards before a scrumhalf or No 10 punted the ball to the sky, seemingly accepting they didn’t have the firepower to break down the opposition defence – even when both teams were reduced to 14 men.
At the best of times, it’s disappointing to watch – but we can at least appreciate some solid skills under the high ball. On Saturday, however, not one player really seemed to stand up in that facet of play.
Whether it was Stuart Hogg, Jasper Wiese or Duhan van der Merwe, high balls were dropped left, right and centre. The kicking team rarely seemed to reclaim the high ball – they simply disrupted the catcher and hoped for a favourable outcome.
It was scrappy, it lacked any essence of creativity or ingenuity, and perhaps most importantly, it was terrible to watch.
Last weekend’s snore-fest was saved by the fact that the game remained close throughout but with the Springboks pulling away in the final quarter of Saturday’s clash, there was really little for viewers to do but wait for the final whistle that would end everyone’s misery.
Sometimes statistics don’t tell the full story but they paint a clear picture of what unfolded in the second test.
The two teams collectively made just 171 passes and 157 runs. In last week’s slightly improved fixture, those figures totalled 197 and 168.
2013 was the last time the Lions lost a second Test after winning the first and Gatland made seven changes to his matchday 23 for the ensuing third Test series decider versus the Wallabies #CastleLionsSeries #LionsRugby #RSAvBILhttps://t.co/qwTVQXJiUj
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 31, 2021
Much like at World Cups, the Springboks and Lions kept things relatively tight on Saturday – but even at the 2019 edition of the flagship competition, there was more expansive rugby on show.
In the grand final, England and South Africa collectively registered 250 passes and 212 runs. In the semi-final between South Africa and Wales (which, at the time, was considered a relatively dire kick-fest itself), fans were ‘treated’ to 182 passes and 183 runs.
The common theme, of course, is that the Springboks are involved in all these clashes – but the less expansive teams appear to bring out the worst in the world champions.
Against the All Blacks at the 2019 World Cup, the two rivals strung together 262 passes and 214 runs (with 119 passes and 104 runs coming from the Springboks). Earlier in the year, in their 16-all drawn test in Wellington, it was a similar story.
South Africa has moved further and further towards an almost entirely kicking-oriented game since the finals of the World Cup.
Against the All Blacks in the pool stages, the Springboks made 24 kicks from hand. The number climbed to 37 against Wales (with only 39 per cent possession) then dropped back to 24 against England in the final, though they played that match with less ball than their game against New Zealand.
Against the Lions, however, that number has skyrocketed. The Springboks made 37 kicks in the first match and 44 in Saturday’s win.
The Lions, to their credit, have made closer to 30 kicks from hand in both tests – but the rest of their time spent with the ball is equally lacking in creativity.
Rarely did the ball make it past the first or second player in the backline when either side’s halfbacks delivered the pass out beyond the forwards and line breaks were unsurprisingly scarce.
Yes, the defences on display were impressive – but that’s what happens when it’s painfully easy to tell which player is going to be carrying the ball in any phase of attack.
Gatland rules out a Twitter debut. #LionsRugby #CastleLionsSeries https://t.co/4cV9UZkglh
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 31, 2021
By all accounts, it was a terrible spectacle – which is a major problem when the quadrennial tour is considered one of the most important events in the rugby calendar.
Perhaps the global pandemic has played its part, ensuring that neither team has necessarily gone into the series in tip-top shape. Heaven and Earth have been moved to ensure that this Lions tour has taken place but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that the biggest concern for the powers-that-be was ensuring the tour generated a mammoth dollop of cash – the spectacle itself wasn’t even considered.
Would any self-respecting sports neutral tune into the current series and think to themselves that rugby was a game worth investing time in?
Thankfully, the Springboks’ win means next weekend’s match won’t be a dead-rubber affair, but it likely means we’ll be subjected to the same conservative rugby for a third laborious week.
It’s a sad state of affairs when much of the excitement to do with the final clash will have nothing to do with the actual rugby played on the pitch, however, and all to do with the final result – and which coach puts their foot in their mouth ahead of the deciding game.
Comments on RugbyPass
Ireland Reign Supreme? Really? Of the 6 nations two (Wales and Italy) were not contenders for the title. No credit to Ireland for beating them. A further nation (France) was off the boil. So it was really more like a 3N tournament. Of the two remaining Irish opponents, one (England) is in rebuild but still managed to beat Ireland. The other (Scotland) was an Irish win, but hardly a beating. It was pretty close, despite being an Irish home game. Ireland were excellent early last year, but this year they struggled to win a 6N tournament that should have been unusually easy for them to win. They were not dominant against the better teams, and they certainly don’t Reign Supreme. Let’s hope they reinvigorate their attack before the SA trip.
3 Go to commentsThanks Nick, and totally correct. Definately too many teams which is unfortunately an effect of the 21st century hubris that began after our 2nd World Cup win. Honestly we weren't like that before then. If NZ beat us in a Rugby League or cricket series (which has occasionally happened) they don't all of a sudden think they are our equal or even better than us. Unfortunately for Australia, we got carried away with ourselves and wanted to jump from 4th biggest football code to biggest…in 5 minutes. More teams, more matches against the All Blacks (so we could beat them even more). Bring it on. It’s been all down hill since then. Assuming Melbourne are gone, there are very good reasons to keep the remaining 4 in SR, or so it would seem. The Force?…wronged previously, and have $s. Surely not. The Brumbies?….easily the best performed. Surely not. The Waratahs?….most players (50%) and most followers. Surely not. The Reds?….easily the best current team, and nearly as many players and followers as the Waratahs. Surely not. I’d argue that based on how strong the combined Reds n Rebs would be and how strong a combined team of all of the other Oz SR teams would be, we have players for 2 teams…..which would be good. Good enough for a propper SR competition…or maybe good enough for Japan….if they’ll have us. Existing SR teams?….keep them and have them play a second tier…or maybe NZ's NRC….if they'll have us. This is biting the bullet. We have the cattle
1 Go to commentsbest news and very helpful
4 Go to commentsA year ago Ireland and France looked impressive. In this 6N neither looked special. Both have lost good players, but more importantly teams have figured out how to shut them down. In particular the Irish loss to a rebuilding England and the home game struggle against a brave Scotland did nothing to prove that the Irish RWC result was undeserved. If the Scots can shut down the Irish attack, then SA can do so with interest. Rassie will have watched that game with confidence. Farrell is smart, and the Irish team is talented, so we should expect a more creative game plan in SA. But if all they bring is what they showed against Scotland then Ireland is going to struggle against the Boks. It was a fun 6N tournament, but the win for Ireland was as much about weak competition as about Irish brilliance. It was mostly due to France being off the boil, Wales and Italy not being contenders, and Scotland being a home game. England are looking much better, but “much better” should not be enough to topple a team that is supposed by some to be The Best in the World. I hope that Ireland can bump it up a notch or two for the Bok tour. A year ago they were fantastic to watch. It would be great to see that again.
24 Go to commentsLooking forward to the Wallabies being competitive again. No doubt that Joe can get them back on track.
1 Go to commentsThanks, Nick, not only for this fine article, but for all the others during 6N 2024. I really enjoyed this 2024 tournament, and felt it was one of the best for many years. That final match in Lyons was really good. England were certainly unlucky when that speculative hack by Ramos lead to a French try. It could just so easily have landed in English hand.s, and they score at the other end. I did think though that the French played some great rugby, and some of their driving play in the forwards was just fearsome. I watched Meafou with interest, and he has a good start to his career. It is interesting to compare him with Will Skelton. Lot of similarities, though so far Meafou has not shown any offloading threat. All credit to Borthwick for being prepared to change, and what great result, even if that last game was lost at the death. I feel they are a real chance to cause the AB’s problems this winter/summer. Finally a comment on Ireland. I thought their last game was their worst, and they did not look like the world’s No 2 side at all. What really worries me is that the loss to England was, in my view, down to poor decision making by the coaching group, and ofc Andy Farrell wears that. It was a big mistake to move JGP away from scrum half. Murray should have been the one to go to the wing. And the “finishers” should have been on the field earlier. And this is the second time this has happened. The RWC Qf against the AB’s, and not getting Crowley onto the field was a huge mistake. Finally, finally, watching Italy play was a joy. How wonderful that they are no longer the punchbag of the 6 N.
44 Go to commentsGreat story. Rugby needs new investment in teams like Brussels another pro league in Europe would be great.
1 Go to commentsAlso, looking at the data from last year, it seemed like by far the two biggest predictors of success were (1) kicking more than your opponents, and (2) having a higher rate of line-out wins than your opponents. I haven’t gone through the stats this year with a fine tooth comb, but the increase in kicks per game and the increase in tries from lineouts would suggest that these two metrics are only getting more important. England’s move away from a kick-heavy game to win against Ireland was seen by some as evidence that running rugby is on the rise. Alternatively it could be taken as evidence that if one team kicks more, and the other team wins more lineouts (as England did) a match is bound to be close to a draw.
3 Go to commentsI have been finding it odd that points per 22 entry has become such a talked about stat, given that your points per entry can be driven down by having more entries. These data would seem to confirm that it isn’t a useful metric, or at any rate is less useful than total entries.
3 Go to commentsI think the last two games England have played is some of their best rugby they have played under Borthwick. There has been a lot more attacking instinct and as a reward have created some well worked tries. Ollie Lawrence is a good foil at 12 as he offers the hard direct lines whilst the rest of the backs can play open. As much as it pains me to say but I do hope England keep playing this way. On a side note my favourite try of the weekend was Lorenzo Pani’s for the nice loop play that put him away and his finish was excellent. Thanks as always Nick.
44 Go to commentsMost exciting player on the planet right now, worth the price of a ticket.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith and Ireland live rent free in Safa’s heads. Their comments only triggers because its true. If the Boks had dismantled a 14 man AB’s, then there would be more respect. But they didnt, in fact quite the opposite, the 14 man NZ were clearly better. And the Bok have always been ordinary between RWC’s, thats why their supporters are now ‘only RWC’s matter’. They know thats BS. Its BS to both AB’s and Bok’s due to their history. But now its all the Safas have. Now we’ll hear excuses when they lose “oh we didnt have all our players available, the ABs/France/Eng/Irel were at full strength”, forgetting for a minute that its because of their own dumb policy. Oh well, makes a change from blaming ‘cheating refs’.
24 Go to commentsNo Nick, they did not, in fact, justify any ‘probables’ label. At no time did they seriously compete for the championship. Ireland led from start to finish and in the end, as a result of glaring referee errors, were never under serious pressure to lose their crown.
44 Go to commentsMoney for him, and his family, has been the sole motivator since he signed for Queensland aged 17. Why else sign for Melbourne. Tupou is poorly advised. If he’d stayed and developed in NZ he would have had a long Test career. If Leinster offer him a few more coins than he’s currently earning, he’s goneburger.
4 Go to commentsFinn. No one would say Ford had played well up until the last game. One standout performance in 5 is hardly in form . It should be a given that a 10 will control play . Not in Fords case be praised for suddenly doing so. Where was he against Scotland ,Italy. The pundits were saying how far away from play he was standing and one even said that the Ireland game was his last chance saloon to perform . Not exactly top form catching anyones eye. If he can play like this game after game then great. Keep him in . But after 90 odd caps we all know he just doesnt keep it going . By all means keep him there but the issue is that Borthwick will persist even when he plays poorly. Which is more often than not. Thats why i am concerned that Smith ,despite fab form , cannot get a game at his preferred spot. Can you imagine Ford at full back .
5 Go to commentsI do not really get why put Ollivon at 6 when he’s a 7, while Cros was the best Frenchman of the tournament, playing at…6. His only game replacing Aldritt at 8 doesn’t change much in terms of his impact. Lamaro was also outstanding in that brilliant Italian side, probably better than Reffell. So putting 2 Welsh players from the wooden spoon holders, and none of the 4th nation (Scotland) is also strange. Is it about showing that in this harsh transition Wales is, there were some standouts…?
6 Go to commentsThe events at this year’s six nations should undermine many of the arguments made against promotion and relegation between the six nations and the REC. If Italy had been allowed to yo-yo between divisions it conceivably could have really hurt their development, but if Italy, Wales, and Scotland are all at risk of relegation, with none of them being relegated more often than once every 3 or 4 years, you’d have to back all of them to muddle on through it, especially when you factor in the likelihood they’ll still be guaranteed world league matches against tier 1 opponents. Another way of looking at italys resurgence would be to say that the development model of adding an extra team to the six nations has worked, and now must be done again. Georgia could join to make it a 7 team round robin, and if and when Georgia demonstrate an ability to consistently win games, Portugal can also be added to make it an 8 team 2 conference competition. Frankly at this point I think it falls to world rugby to demand that the 6N act in the interests of the game. If the 6N won’t commit to expansion then the 6N teams should be handicapped in world cup draws (i.e. world cup seedings would not be based on their ranking points, but on their ranking points minus a 5 point penalty).
6 Go to commentsSteve 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.?
44 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.
6 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!
4 Go to comments