'We have spoken': What Lions will do in case of Bulls cancellation
Lions assistant Steve Tandy has outlined what might happen if next Saturday’s scheduled match versus the Bulls in Pretoria is cancelled following a virus outbreak amongst Jake White’s squad. He also gave an update on the health of Robbie Henshaw’s hamstring and added that Stuart Hogg is an injury doubt to take his place on the Lions bench for this Wednesday’s game versus the Sharks.
Henshaw pulled up lame last week with a hamstring issue that Lions boss Warren Gatland assured was a minor strain and that prognosis appeared to be on the money following the update provided by Tandy on Tuesday afternoon from Johannesburg.
“Robbie is tracking really well. He was doing a little bit of running today, so he is looking good,” said the defence coach, who went on to reveal a concern surrounding Hogg, the full-back who skippered the Lions from full-back in last Saturday’s win over the Sigma Lions just a week after he was just a sub for Exeter’s Gallagher Premiership final loss.
Having done well in his Lions appearance in the No15 shirt, Hogg was chosen on Monday amongst the replacements to provide backline cover this Wednesday to a starting XV that has Liam Williams selected at full-back and Dan Biggar as the starting No10. “Stuart is carrying a little bit of a dead leg,” explained Tandy. “We will make a decision on that tomorrow morning and see how he holds up.”
Aside from that injury situation concerning Henshaw and Hogg, the major news coming out of South Africa was that next Saturday’s third Lions game in the southern hemisphere was in jeopardy following some failed virus tests in the Bulls squad. Nothing officially has been said about what will definitely happen, but Tandy admitted that the issue of a possible call-off had been talked about amongst Gatland and his staff.
Another worrying development surrounding the Lions tour #LionsRugbyhttps://t.co/q3PS62hyG4
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 6, 2021
“We haven’t confirmed anything but we have spoken. We will travel down to Cape Town over the weekend so we would probably give an extra day off, potentially maybe train a little bit harder on the Friday but again that would be something that we would firm up when we get confirmation around what will happen.
“There has nothing been confirmed. It hasn’t affected the mood in the camp. The boys trained well this morning [Tuesday] and it’s just about gearing up for tomorrow night (against the Sharks). The focus is on us getting better and improving and building on the last couple of performances. There are a couple of more people making their debuts for the Lions, so it’s exciting times.”
Tandy accepted that the virus issues encountered by the Springboks on Monday, where they had their training closed down, and now with the Bulls had heightened awareness even further amongst the Lions about their own precautions. “Definitely, it’s something we are constantly reminding and trying to have no risk in what we are doing.
“We are tested three, four times a week and everything is sanitised and everyone is on their best behaviour around that because no one what to jeopardise this tour. We have come here to do a job and we don’t want to leave anything to get in the way of that.”
Cancellation of the Springboks versus Georgia game on Friday and the following day’s Lions versus Bulls match would leave the Georgians and Lions at an expected late loose end. Might that hypothetically be solved by the Lions taking on the Georgians instead and if not, would the loss of a match hinder the Test team selection chances of those players likely to have been facing the Bulls?
“Anything is possible through Covid. We have seen that. If there is an opportunity if a game is called off to play a game then that would be great for us and for whoever else is looking for a game,” said Tandy, who also spoke about the possibility of the Lions playing an internal match amongst themselves at some stage if there are any cancellations.
“It would depend on what point of the tour we are at… we will weigh up whether we feel we can give the boys and an extra day off or whether we feel we need that internal sort of match or maybe a heavier-loaded contact day. As coaches we talk about it but through Covid what you learn is you have to adapt.
“You could have the best-laid plans to do things but things move really quickly and things can change quickly. It is just being prepared for whatever comes our way at whatever period of time and also just seeing where the group are, whether they need more contact time or if we can give them an extra day off so they can recover. We will just adapt that as we go along.
“It is only as difficult as you make it,” he said about the selection consequences of some players possibly having a game less to impress. “You have to adapt and what will be will be. We see the boys training, how they do in that. We’d like to think everyone would have had a chance to put their name in the hat for the Test series – we are watching these boys every day. With the competition, it is already going to be difficult because the standard in training and around the games is huge so I don’t think it will make too much of a difference.
“Other people will be talking and dealing with that,” he added about speculation that the tour won’t return to Johannesburg as planned after the July 24 first Test in Cape Town and could instead be concluded there with the second and third Tests. “If we end up in Cape Town we will deal with that. If we come back to Johannesburg we are fully prepared for whatever happens.”
?Exclusive?
In @BenKay5 first Lions column for @RugbyPass he says Courtney Lawes has put his hand up for a Test start and pinpoints the defensive frailties that need tightening up ahead of the Sharks game. https://t.co/0pOYd6kq52
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 5, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Je suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
25 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
25 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to comments