British & Irish Lions Tour 2009

The final duty of every Lions manager is to prepare a full report on the tour for the Four Home Unions and, judging by our last conversation in South Africa, Gerald Davies will not be pulling any punches. “Wrapping the Springboks’ squad in cotton wool made a mockery of some of the provincial games...
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South African captain John Smit and coach Peter de Villiers on Saturday both conceded that the Springboks were beaten by a better team after the touring British and Irish Lions had won the third Test in Johannesburg.
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It’s tempting to suggest that by wearing white armbands to protest Bakkies Botha’s two- week ban for foul play, the Springboks had things other than a rugby match on their minds here yesterday.
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This series is anything but settled, there is a lot of personal scores to settle.
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Wynand Olivier has worked very hard to regain his Bok spot, but he believes time for talk is over now and it is time for action.
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Only Fourie du Preez is retained in the backline that started at Loftus as De Villiers makes massive changes ahead of the final test at Coke Park.
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I know the Boks have clinched the series already, but this will by no means be a ‘dead rubber’ to me. Too much rugby has been played (or not played), too much emotion has been stirred and too much has been said for Saturday’s Test to be ‘dead’.
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Zane Kirchner will be one of many players that will be rewarded with a test cap in the last test against the B&I Lions.
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Springbok coach Peter de Villiers’ credibility took another knock on Wednesday when the British and Irish Lions’ media officer Greg Thomas categorically denied that the touring side’s coach Ian McGeechan had not congratulated De Villiers after the second Test in Pretoria last Saturday.
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If you cannot stand the heat, go and buy your tutu!
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Bok assistant coach Gary Gold believes the Boks deserve more credit.
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The Boks will aim to achieve something never before achieved when they take on the Lions at Coke Park this weekend.
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Seven consecutive Test defeats in the southern hemisphere have not discouraged the British and Irish Lions and they remain optimistic about their future.
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No spinning, just the exact transcript of the press conference in which Peter de Villiers took on the (largely) British Media contingent.
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Heyneke Meyer analyse the second test between the Boks and the Lions.
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Die Springbok-slot Bakkies Botha is gisteraand vir twee weke geskors weens ’n skouerloop eergister op die Leeu-stut Adam Jones.
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IT WILL no doubt seem cruel to serve up this statistic after what was an epic game of rugby on Saturday but the Lions have now lost seven Test matches on the trot. Indisputably, the complexity of modern rugby works against the Lions’ concept.
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The British press on Sunday hailed a “brave” performance by the Lions who were beaten by South Africa with a last-gasp penalty which won an enthralling second Test and the series. “Match defined how good test rugby can be.”
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“Meneer De Villiers, van ’n linksgesinde, kleurblind voorheen bevoordeelde: u het verlede week op legendariese skaal aangejaag.” Gister se wedstryd, só het dit gevoel, is so hittete in die kleedkamer verloor. In elk geval: die kans is verbrou om Britse rugby vir die volgende seisoen of drie te traumatiseer.
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