Lions in SA
Lions looking for a test
2009-06-05 09:40
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Gavin RichThe British and Irish Lions will go into their third tour match against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday with mixed feelings on what they want from the game.
There are now just two weeks remaining to the first Test of the three match series against the Springboks, and while the big win over the Golden Lions in midweek was a massive boost to confidence, there must be a nagging feeling within the management that they could be treading the same path as 2005.
Back then, on the tour to New Zealand, they arrived at the first Test against the All Blacks feeling confident after a sequence of easy wins over provincial opposition. They found however that there was a massive difference between the All Blacks and the standard of the provincial teams, and they were blown away by the intensity of the New Zealand Test team.
In 1980, when Bill Beaumont brought his Lions here, there were no fears that intensity could be lacking from opponents in the build-up. In those days, all the provinces played at full-strength, and you never had the situation you see in the professional era where the host nation gathers three weeks ahead of a Test series, as the Springboks have now.
That means that the provincial teams that play the Lions will not field their international players – and it takes a considerable amount away from these tour fixtures. Although the Lions were pushed, and surprisingly so, by the Royal XV in Rustenburg in their first tour fixture, they will not be playing a match before the first Test that should in any way replicate the atmosphere of a Test match.
Disappointing crowds turned up to both the Rustenburg and Johannesburg games, and the Golden Lions game, although a massive boost to confidence for the tourists, must have left questions in terms of the commitment of the opposition.
Some would say only a union like the Golden Lions, who have slipped from their powerful position of the 1990s to become something of a laughing stock in South African rugby in terms of administration, would be stupid enough to sack a coach a week before such a big fixture. Frankly, someone should be made to answer for it, and for the Lions’ pathetic performance, for they were well short of what should have been expected from them in this match.
The word around the British and Irish Lions camp is that from the outset they felt that if there was going to be a proper test for them in the early games, it would come in Bloemfontein. Although the Cheetahs will be missing regular skipper Juan Smith and wing Jongi Nokwe, both of whom are with the Boks, they don’t suffer quite as much as some other teams from international call-ups, such as the Lions’ opponents next Wednesday, the Sharks.
Although often inconsistent, the Cheetahs have also been known to produce the odd special performance, such as when they beat both the Sharks and the Crusaders during the last Super 14 season. The Cheetahs finished last in that competition, but at home they are sure to display more commitment than the Lions did.
For the tourists, this stage of the tour should be all about testing combinations under pressure, so they ought to be hoping that the Cheetahs can create some pressure. Let it not be forgotten that on the last Lions tour to South Africa, in 1997, it was a big defeat to the Bulls at Loftus that caused the Lions to make the changes to their initial plan that eventually led to their victory in the first test match in Cape Town.
Given that the Lions were so outstanding at the breakdown at Coca Cola Park on Wednesday, it will be interesting from a South African viewpoint to see how the Cheetahs fare in this aspect of the game.
With Heinrich Brussow considered the best out and out fetcher in the country and Hendro Scholtz captaining the side from No8, the Cheetahs have possibly the best breakdown specialists in the country.
Where the Cheetahs may fall short, and this might sound strange if you consider the past reputation of Cheetahs teams, is in the physicality department, particularly with Smith absent. The Lions will only name their team later on Friday, but obviously they will make several changes to the side that smashed the Lions, and we should not expect too much in the way of continuity.
“I always said that I would use the first three games as an opportunity to give everyone a run,” said Lions coach Ian McGeechan after the Johannesburg game.
His skipper on the night, Brian O’Driscoll, said this game would be about raising the bar even further. If you consider how much the Lions improved between Rustenburg and Bloemfontein, that is quite a frightening prospect for the hosts.