I was in England last weekend, eagerly looking forward to an afternoon of rugby and banter in the company of my brother, long-time resident there, and our respective sons, one born in England, the other a loyal backer of the Boks.
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 and that [...]
Will the Springboks still be the world champions or will the steady decline predicted after the break-up of John Smit’s 2007 World Cup winners have left South Africa among the also-rans?
In hindsight: If one is honest, very few players would’ve been able to remain mentally sharp the week after they’d achieved a crucial 2-0 series-winning lead in a Test series against the British and Irish Lions.
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.
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.
The Springboks were well and truly beaten in Johannesburg. After 10 changes, the off-field antics of their coach, two citings with suspension and then their protest about the “ridiculous” suspension of Bakkies Botha, they were a fairly bedraggled lot, playing without cohesion or conviction.
Andy Sheridan and Lions coach Ian McGeechan has expressed concern over the Bakkies ruling.
This series is anything but settled, there is a lot of personal scores to settle.
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.
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.
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’.
Springbok lock Bakkies Botha has lost his appeal against a two-week suspension for foul play in the second Test against the British and Irish Lions at Loftus.
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.
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.
