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'We were bold': The Gatland ruling on agonising Lions series loss
Warren Gatland cut a magnanimous figure at his final 2021 Lions media conference, congratulating the Springboks for their Test series victory and complimenting the attitude of his own players in a Cape Town decider that went down to the wire and was only decided by a 79th-minute penalty from Morne Steyn, the series clincher when they team previous clashed in the 2009 series.
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The match exploded into life with a 57th-minute converted try from Cheslin Kolbe which nudged the Springboks 13-10 ahead and the exchanges were was nerve-wracking from there until the finish, a 75th-minute Finn Russell penalty drawing the Lions level at 16-all and leaving them set for a repeat of the 2017 series draw with the All Blacks until Steyn’s late strike proved decisive.
“I’m disappointed but really proud of the effort the boys put in today,” enthused Gatland at his virtual post-game Lions media briefing from Cape Town Stadium. “I thought we were bold. We went out there to be positive, to play some rugby, missed one or two chances and they kind of got a lucky bounce and scored a try against the run of play and a couple of 50/50 calls probably didn’t go our way.
“But it was a proper Test match, it was tough, it was physical. That is what you expect and that is what you want with the Lions series. It’s not going to be easy going away, travelling away from home playing the world champions. It was a really tight contest. As I said, it could have gone either way and congratulations to South Africa.
“It was a bit of deja vu,” he added in reference to Steyn being the series clincher just as he was in 2009 when Gatland was an assistant to the Ian McGeechan-coached Lions. “The penalty count was against us, 15-12, and at this level, it is so, so important. Your aim is to keep your penalties under ten in international rugby and if you can do that it makes a significant difference.
The Lion who cost his team the series in 2009 has given his verdict on Sky Sports, as has the legendary Ian McGeechan#LionsTour2021 #LionsRugby #BoksvLions #CastleLionsSeries
https://t.co/AbrWZdYerZ— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 7, 2021
“We had a penalty our way and then the high shot from Finn Russell goes the other way and big moments, a two-on-one with Liam Williams and Josh Adams and he should have given the pass probably. You get one or two chances at this level and you have got to make the most of it because you have to be clinical when they come around.
“When you are playing against South Africa and they are the world champions, you know it is going to be a really tight contest. It’s going to be a bounce of a ball or a call or something and we have been held up over the line and then we get penalised in the scrum which was a little bit unlucky when you are five metres out from their line.
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“From that point of view, there were some key moments but it was always going to be a bounce of the ball, it was always going to be tight. The boys gave it 100 per cent and from a coaching perspective, you can’t ask for more than that. We spoke at half-time about starting really well after half-time.
“We had a good first half and that was probably the most disappointing part of the game was that first ten minutes after half-time where we just got pinned in our half and it took us a while to start generating some more momentum.
“At the highest level you get one or two chances and a mistake is really costly and even though the players have given everything they will probably look back individually and go there was an error there and they have given a penalty away that is a big moment in the game and that is kind of what you are working towards at the highest level, to eliminate some of those sorts of things,” continued Gatland who has now won, drawn and lost a Test series during his three tours in charge of the Lions.
“But as I said, I can’t complain about our attitude and the way that we approached it. We went to stress them as much as we could and we probably turned down a couple of three point opportunities to go to the corner to try and build a bit of lead that then put them under a bit of pressure just to force them to not potentially keep going to the air and open up the game a bit.”
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Gatland admitted his thoughts late in the game drifted back to Japan in 2019 when Wales took on the Springboks in the World Cup semi-final. “It was a tough series and it was exciting and those are the things that you want to be involved in.
“At 16-all I was thinking it reminded me a little bit of the World Cup semi-final, you think you have got to stay in this and someone is going to get an opportunity towards the end of the game and unfortunately we were the ones penalised and conceded three points.
“You have to be very clear in terms of that, play a bit of territory and wait for a chance because you are going to get a moment in those last few minutes when the game is so tight.”
PLAYER RATINGS: Heartbreak for the Lions, not least because they'll view it as a game they could and maybe should have won.
Here's how we rated the Lions players #LionsRugby #RSAvBIL #CastleLionsSeries https://t.co/7VT2gYereg
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 7, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
No surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to comments