Bok flaws give Lions hope
Even the most optimistic of Lions fans might feel a little disheartened at the moment.
Within the space of a few hours on Wednesday, the squad was shorn of Alan Quinlan and Jerry Flannery, and Leigh Halfpenny was ruled out for the first two weeks of the South Africa tour.
With Tomas O'Leary and Tom Shanklin already ruled out of the series through injury, the Lions do not seem to be getting off to the best of starts. A day of yachting on the Solent, to boost the team-bonding process, was cancelled on Thursday in favour of some less demanding pursuits.
But Ian McGeechan's men can take some solace from the knowledge that the Springboks are facing problems of their own.
A paucity of world-class goalkickers seems to be causing most of the jitters in South Africa, which is hardly surprising when you cast your mind back to the 1997 series when the same problem proved a major factor in the Springboks' 2-1 series defeat.
Ruan Pienaar, the first-choice fly-half and goalkicker, performed well on the tour of Britain last November. An ankle injury has put him out for two to three weeks, although Bok coach Peter de Villiers is confident he will be back for the first Test on 20 June.
The Boks are short of kicking alternatives if Pienaar doesn't make it back in time though. Bath's Butch James, South Africa's fly-half when they won the 2007 World Cup, is a long-term absentee following a knee injury. Percy Montgomery - such a liability with the boot in 1997 but a player who went on to become South Africa's all-time leading point scorer - retired from Test rugby last August and is now the team's kicking coach.
De Villiers has picked Peter Grant and the uncapped utility back Earl Rose as his front-line kickers for the warm-up match against a Namibia XV on 29 May and some South Africans seem a little concerned, including former Bok fly-half Hennie le Roux.
"We learned a hard lesson in 1997 by not focussing on the role of goalkicker," he says. "This time we have to get it right."
Another former Bok number 10, Joel Stransky, has argued that the kicking ability of Francois Steyn means he should start against the Lions at full-back. This seems highly unlikely though, as the prodigiously talented back is injured and out of favour with De Villiers.
The full-back shirt is likely to go to in-form Bulls back Zane Kirchner in the absence of the superb Conrad Jantjes, who has a broken leg, while veteran Stefan Terblanche is also a contender.
Of more concern to De Villiers will be the form of some of his star players, particularly Brian Habana.
Stransky says: "Habana has had a very poor Super 14, he has really struggled. The ball has not really come to him and he has been a bit short in terms of work-rate."
Some are even questioning whether the 2007 IRB World Player of the Year has permanently lost a yard of pace. Schalk Burger has been "a bit quiet", according to Stransky, while Ricky Janaurie has been "terribly out of sorts", which could leave a lack of cover for Fourie du Preez at scrum-half.
De Villiers has scant opportunity to iron out these problems before the Lions series starts. Namibia are the Boks' only warm-up opponents after a proposed game against New Zealand Maori fell through, and none of the sizeable Bulls contingent will be available for the match in Windhoek next Friday.
They are playing the Crusaders in the semi-finals of the Super 14 in Pretoria on Saturday, with a potential final appearance the following week. De Villiers will be a nervous man watching those games.
As many as 10 potential Boks will be playing, including locks Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha, back-rower Pierre Spies, centre Morne Steyn (a useful kicker, and another possible contender for the fly-half role) and Habana.
If they come through unscathed, the Bulls players will join up with a squad that begins a training camp in Johannesburg on 1 June, before moving on to Durban on 9 June.
I've given Lions fans some reasons to cheer up, but there is a flip side. The world champions have a host of magnificent players, an experienced skipper in John Smit and a settled side with the second row and back row particularly strong.
And make no mistake: the side is absolutely desperate to beat the Lions. Smit is the only member of the squad to have faced them before, having come on as a sub for the Sharks in 1997 and Stransky explains: "Maybe because we play Australia and New Zealand so often, the novelty has worn off.. a lot of the Boks have remained in the country for another season or two to ensure they get an opportunity to beat the Lions."
McGeechan insists: "Some of them look on this as bigger than a World Cup. Peter de Villiers has told me he has players with 80 or 90 caps, but none of them is against the Lions."
This is why eight Boks are reported to have turned down lucrative moves to France and the chance to treble their salaries.
Earlier this year, Northampton owner Keith Barwell told me he had made a "massive, massive offer" to Matfield last summer, but the lock turned it down because he was so desperate to face the Lions.
The interest in the country as a whole is huge. All three Tests quickly sold out and there has also been a clamour from the media in South Africa and the UK.
Springboks communications manager Anthony Mackaiser says he would expect to get 70 journalists at a Tri Nations match, but the figure will be closer to 300 for the Lions series.
He received almost 400 applications for accreditation from the UK alone.
"The sense of excitement and anticipation over here is already huge," he told me. And the Boks are desperate not to let their country down.
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Thanks for a great article.
My gut feeling is that the Lions will win the series 2-1 again.
PS I wanted to email this article to a friend but couldn't find the link - perhaps a link can be included in future?
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Your gut feeling is a bit ludicrous mate.
The boks will win the series easily.
3-0 Boks.
Morne Steyn is more than adequate cover at flyhalf and his performances in the Super 14 have been superb. If he can perform so well in that competition, he will be far too good for anything that the inferior northern hemisphere can throw at him.
Haban has been magnificent since coming back from an injury, so Im not too sure how old the quotes are that were used.
Cant wait, I fly out in 3 weeks.
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Its always heartening to hear that the Boks are having injury and selection difficulties as well!
I am confident that we have the players to win this series, but beating the boks in their back yard is a big ask! We are capable of winning the series, 2-1 would be a realistic prediction, but i would not be surprised at all if we get white-washed! Its hard to gell 4 nations together in a matter of weeks, and the Boks arent World Champions for nothing.
(Cant you copy and paste the link from the address bar of your web browser into an email?)
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No matter which Sprinbok team takes the pitch, the Lions will be
de-flowered in the most inhumane way possible. The strenghth in depth in South Africa is phenomonal, take a look at the Super 14. Any one of the 5 franchises competing could beat the Lions, that's just the shear dominance of the Southern hemisphere teams. The 2 top teams in the world at the moment are the All Blacks & the Boks, both teams set the standard when it comes to international rugby, the lions will be humiliated.
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Correction. Stefan Terblanche is the real in form full back he has had a sublime super 14 and believe me Rory Kockott is more than adequate cover for Fourie du Preez
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I think the information on Habana is a bit misleading as he has begun to rediscover his form and has been turning in some good performances. He has scored a couple of very good tries this year and the break he took to get over his injury seems to have done him a lot of good. His strike rate against the home nations should be noted.
Burger is a worry but as the saying goes, class is permamnent form is temporary. He is one of the world's best players and you don't lose that overnight. I think he'll up his game for the Lions. Kockett in my opinion would be a brilliant back-up to du Preez. He's combatative and abrasive with good running lines and he kicks goals for fun which should weigh in his favour. The depth in South African rugby at present should see them smooth over any injury concerns.
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3-0 Boks and I am a Lions fan.
That said, I am gonna enjoy this immensely.
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I do agree with crashballdaves prediction on the score line but I dont agree that it is heartening that the boks have an injury list. It would be much better to win a series against the strongest boks team and bring back a bit of the gloss that the lions have been missing since 97. Fly Half and Hooker are the main issues for me as I feel there is enough strength and talent in the rest of the positions. I think Hook would be an option for Shanklins place even though he is not due to be replaced. He can provide a lot of cover accross the back line with superb goal kicking. It would be nice to see Josh Lewsey out there too for a final swan song.
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Why do so many people, and especially on the BBC discussion pages, want the Boks to be injured? Well said Martyweed, if the Lions are to know where they stand they must play against the best. Fly Half and Hooker...I think flay half is well covered there isn't a magician in there but there are two players who can both kick and are solid in defence. The coaching staff have obviously based this squad's strategy on a forward dominated approach where they hope to grind down the Boks and win playing conservative rugby. There is nothing wrong with that as it can be highly effective. I just think that its a risky gameplan when you consider the calibre of the gamebreakers that de Villiers has at his disposal.
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I hope that goal kicking does prove to be a major factor in the series, because other than the scrum it is the only area that we have a clear advantage.
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I think the test series will be won 2-1 by the lions. If we can slow the boks down so they cant play the quick super 14 style of rugby then we have every chance.
If the play starts to get loose and untidy the boks will run away with the games because of sheer pace.
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Firstly, people/bloggers who are happy that rugby players are getting injured are not true rugby fans. I know it may give the opposing team an advantage, but that's not the point in sport. You want the best players from both sides taking each other on, and sit back and enjoy.
With that out of the way, I can't wait to watch the Lion's Tour in SA. I think it is going to be another classic. As a Lion's fan I hope we win, but honestly I think we wil lose the series 2-1. A reverse score of 1997, but 3 great games.
The Spring Boks are normally quite cocky but they won't be this time. Even with their injuries they are going to be formidable. The old saying "forwards win the game, backs determine by now much", will apply here. I reckon the Boks think they will have the dominant pack, but most of the time the Lion's will be equal to them, and with the slightly better backs the Lion's will get at least one win.
There are going to be some great battles all over the pitch, lets hope the Lion's have their kicking boots on, and most importantly let us hope for no more injuries on either side!
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I am inclined to go for a whitewash from the Boks but last time i checked Brian O'Driscoll is playing for the lions so game on!!!
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Not sure Lions fans should get all excited by apparently an off form Boks team - basically, because they are not.
Some of the Boks are in outstanding form in the Super 14, hence why the Bulls finished top of the table.
I like the way Simon Austin picked out Habana. Firstly, he is a regular in the team of the week in RUGBY365 (its primarily a South African website) - whilst many blogging don't necessarily agree, if Habana is not on form - then my word they have plenty of back up.
As for the rest of the article, suggesting the Boks might be undone because they don't have back ups in key areas is a little bit desparately searching for positives. Januarie is injured so that might be a blessing - maybe so but in du Preez they have the best no.9 in the world.
Habana may not be on form, but in JP Pietersen and Ndungane (both of them) they have outstanding replacements.
Kankowski and Spies, awesome number 8s.
So really, its more worrying that the article is trying to find anything to find positives. The lions have way more flaws going into the tour - and the Boks will certainly not be running scared of our number 10s.
The fact is the Lions will have to play to 100% as individuals and as a team to beat the Bok 15 - whichever 15 turns up.
The good news is though the Lions can do it.
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Well like everyone here I can't wait for the phoney war to stop and the [ahem] real war to being [feel exactly the same way over the Ashes ....]. Pretty obvious to see that the battle up front decides the outcome, but two key areas - massive strengths for the Boks - the line-out and the back-row must have dominated MacGeegan's selection. I mourn the loss of Quinlan, but expect that to be made up by Croft's call-up. We'll see I'm sure five out of eight 6'4" and above - for both packs, and three jumpers very tall and over 17st.
So I expect all tests to be attritional, with epic battles both packs almost cancelling each other out. Amazingly, I think this is the Lions' game plan all along ....
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A a massive Lions fan, I cant quite see them doing it. My head tells me the Boks are too big, too experienced and want it too much to do then over in their own backyard.
Unlike NZ 4 years agoe, the Lions do have some strike force, but 9-10 is too weak, and 6,7,8 for the Boks are the best in world rugby at the moment, not to mention 4+5.
Come on you Lions, but I fear a step too far with not enough quality.
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I love this over arrogance by the bok fans and saffas generally, this is the mentality that lost them the series in 97. The butch masculine arikaner mentality of trying to win a series by being physical. If SA try and take the Lions on in the forwards they will lose, simple, the saffas reading this wont like it but the Lions are a harder stronger pack, they will fight toe to toe all day and eventually the Boks will lose dicipline. SA need to keep the ball alive, tey have far better, dangerus backs (why was Armitage not picked?).
The other advantage SA have is Smit, clever intelligent player, he wont want it tight. I ask all saffas to carry on this arrogance because it will lose you the series 2-1.
The Lions have nothing to lose, 4 nations as one, the underdogs. The Boks however are under huge pressure, world cup holders, ghost of 97 they have a loads to lose, expect fireworks and if there are expect the Lions to return victorious.
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I doubt the Lions will ever win a series again. In this age of professional rugby, the Springboks, All Blacks and Wallabies players train and live together and know each other too well; and by contrast, unlike the tours of amateur days, Lions tours now are very short and the players don't have much time to gel on or off the pitch.
Add the fact that the tours are always at the end of the Northern Hemisphere season, which means loads of injuries and exhausted players, but right in the middle of the Southern Hemisphere season; and the simple fact that SH rugby is and always has been generally better, and, sad to say, it spells a 3-0 whitewash to South Africa.
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Those who think this will just be a bish bash bosh series are wrong. I worry for the amount of attention is given to the meeting them up front attitude.
The fact is that in 97 the two teams fought an attritional contest.
The game has moved on enormously, in the last 5 years. The Boks are quicker, playing a different set of rules that makes them sharper up top, and the levels of fitness are far superior.
The point is, the Boks have a plan B and some wonderfully attacking options behind their awesome pack.
If we go solely to front up, the Boks will revert to plan B and their greater fitness will see them through.
We have to have imagination and flair to get round the boks as well as strength to get through.
I am sad for Halfpenny and Quinlan, but I believe the call up of Croft, and hopefully D Armitage will provide a better balance to the Squad dynamic.
Geechs set out to find a lumbering set of forwards to front up against the Boks, I think by an unfortunate set of circumstances we may have fortunately stumbled on the correct selection.
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Agree with tinoflyer .. Croft and Armitage look good for the tests, it would be typical for the Lions if they turn in some incredible displays and they werent even meant to be there.
As for the results .. unless the Lions win that first test and put some doubt into the Boks minds they're going to get a wooping.
I think the refereeing will have a big influence ... will we see super fast, free flowing, forward passing super 14 rugby or a more classic intepretation of the rules .. especially interested to see what happens in relation to the breakdown as to what the refs will and wont be pinging.
whatever will happen, it's going to be compelling rugby .. I cant wait !
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The South Africans will give the Lions nothing. I'm told that they are even preventing the Lions Male Voice Choir from singing on the pitch prior to the test matches. Which is a disgrace. The All Blacks were very welcoming and hospitable hosts in 2005, and were happy for the traditional Lions choir to entertain the crowd prior to the games.
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#2 and 7 - bang on. Well said #12.
There is so much hype surrounding this tour and the tests and most of it of it is generated by our friends in the media. International rugby has changed so dramatically in 12 years, you cannot compare tours.
3-0 to Bokka and I'm a Lion. Be real, preparation, teamwork etc are so crucail the Lions don't have a sniff. The Boks have basically been together three years.
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Lions fan. Good blog, but which ever boks team turns up will be more than a match. They are a more or less settled team. lions are always a collective bunch that may gel and have a laugh with each other a play for each other, or they may not be able to unify and then play dross. Boks I'm afraid will edge the first test. lions will talk up the positives ect in the post match bla bla, but will have the confidence smashed as both sides know that a first win is a huge advantage. One of the main problem areas for the lions as see it will be in the set pieces. The lions hooker has a big job on his hands.
But win the first test and the lions will unify even more and be able to take the series.
Go lions
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Morne Steyn is a flyhalf and not a centre. He is also a brilliant goalkicker (I think he is top scorer in this years Super 14). If De Villiers picks Morne Steyn (as he should do because Steyn is the form flyhalf), there should be no worries about goalkicking. If Pienaar plays, there will always be a question mark although he did well during the tour last year.
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I've been looking forward to this tour for four years, nice to see we have a coach with some sense this time though, Woodward broke a lot of people's hearts with his ludicrous squad selection! Any coach would realise where the quality came from in 2005 (Wales' dominance of the six nations) but his biased selection ruined the tour from day one. Id like to mention that this article is great but would dissagree with the Habana comments. Habana is a pure finisher but has nothing else - so if your saying he's poor as a result of no ball it's a given! I also think his inclusion could be beneficial to the Lions as he is a liability to the squad, his desicion making is very poor and his one man show attitude can get his team into a lot of trouble but that said when it does come off it's magical! All in all i think the lions squad has a good mix of skill, power and experience and more importantly form. I feel the series will be one and lost in the back row and at the linout, the battle for the Lions 7 shirt will be interesting between Wallace and Williams but feel the combination of Burger, Smith and Spies will be too much and the obviouse threat of Mattfield at the linout is massive. Bok's 3-0 I think but lets hope for a repeat of 1997, cant wait till June 20th
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Who cares about the Lions anyway? Outdated relic from the amateur era, abolish the tours. Who do they serve in the British Isles from the nations providing the players? Serious injuries and fatigue for the season ahead is the result. The won't win this tour or many others in future probably, stop deluding yourselves, therefore what's the point in them I ask?
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ChelseaSaffer
"Any one of the 5 franchises competing could beat the Lions"
Mate, you haven't been paying enough attention to this years S14. If you had you would realise that they've also told us that any one of the 5 SA competing teams can turn in a shocker and lose to the bottom of the heap. None of the S14 teams this year would be a cert to beat this or any Lions side.
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I hope the Bok players will be released to play for their provinces against the Lions. If not, the tour will be a bit of a farce.
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The approach of Geech and the clowns around him is very worrying. He has picked a squad to win ugly at any cost. Picking a street tuff like Quinlan and others of his ilk proves this point. Quality talent like Ben Foden Chris Ashton, Danny Cipriani has been left behind. Why not play a fast quick ball expansive running game to take on the Boks ? It would make the series a great success for the game of rugby globally. Get rid of dead wood has beens like Geech and wannabees like Shaun Edwards with his yawn yawn blitz defence !!! Bring in forward thinking coaches like Declan Kidney or Dean Ryan.
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#30 are have you been hit on the head recently???
Gech and Shaun Edwards dead wood? Your having a laugh mate, you only have to look at what they've achieved for wasps, lions and Wales respectively! and this boring blitz defence you talk of transformed a mediocre Wales team who struggled to beat the likes of Canada into potential world beaters. Tour talking out of your rear end, Lions tours are what all true rugby fans wait for, June 20th the whole rugby world will be watching, C'mon lions
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Thanks for your comments everyone. I've just finished watching the Bulls beat the Crusaders to reach the final of the Super 14 and was very impressed with them. As the Bulls are likely to make up the bulk of the South Africa side, this was a warning for the Lions. Morne Steyn ran the game excellently from fly-half and his drop-kicking was formidable. Although Brian Habana was quiet, Akona Ndungane was a dynamic, powerful presence on the other wing. But the man who really stood out for me was Pierre Spies, whose athletic, barnstorming performance was quite formidable. Did you watch the match? If so, what did you make of the form of the Bulls and their Springbok contingent? It will be interesting to see how the Heineken Cup final compares...
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Couldn't watch the S14 semi between the Bulls and Crusaders, but followed online with text updates. Very pleased with the Bulls performance. And to all those who say the Boks don't have a no.10, go and watch a copy of the above mentioned game. Dominant flyhalf performance by all accounts! Four drop goals, three conversions, 1 penalty. I'll take that, thanks very much. Only downside is they now have to play another match next week.
But looking at the Lions fixtures, they are playing every four days or so. That is mighty tough! Looking forward to the tour kicking off! Unlucky me doesn't have Sky so it will be down the pub where I'll have to put a cap on the pints to protect my sagging chest!
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Bigbadbuddah - no.17
You took the words out of my mouth. I also think that this arrogance shown by the S. Africans will not serve them well. Contempt leads to complacency and ultimately to underperformance. But I actually understand their attitude because lets face it what has the 6N served up this year to cause them any fear - a competition between 6 mediocre sides when compared to the sides in the SH. However the Lions I am sure will prove to have much bigger claws than the SAs expect. The Lions management, whom I rate extremely highly, are very astute and have probably picked the best available side from FOUR nations. Only time will tell if they truly have.
I predict that the swaggering SAs will be taken completely by surprise in the first test with the Lions forwards dominating and creating enough space for their backs to create the win - space was not a luxury afforded to any of the backs in the 6N as there wasn't really a dominating pack of forwards.
However I disagree with you about the Hook/Armitage option. It was not really a surprise to me that they went for Hook. He can cover the relatively weak 10 position as well as outside centre (Shanklin being ruled out) and a phenomenal kicker on a good day.
My prediction is that the Lions will have such momentum from the 1st test that they will win the 2nd test because the SAs will not have had the time to work out how to play them. The 3rd will be a closer affair but still a Lions win. Yes that's right a THREE NIL win for the Lions. A lot of lessons were learned from that disastrous tour of NZ in 2005. That weak management team even took a politician to help them address media issues! Enough said.
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3-0 to the Lions, well that's the comedy moment of the afternoon! A certain UK team and supporters are past masters of talking up their chances, then making excuses when they lose, e.g. world cup final.... SA were cruising in 3rd or 4th gear, low risk taking hence low score. In fact I never recall a match where they were so in control, yet poor old England have been bleating every since about that supposed try.
One thing I will add is that their are some very tough customers in the "warm up" matches out to prove a point..... Physically, they are bred bigger and stronger in SA. It is only the avent of professionalism in the game and the fact that players spend hours in the gym which have gone some way to closing the gap. That is why SA and NZ have pretty much dominated world rugby for the past century!
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Jst watchd the Bulls beat the Crusaders. Morne Steyn is looking good and should start at flyhalf for the springboks. One-on-one i think the boks have the edge. I'll start at the front... There is no hooker in ths lions team 2 match John Smit/Bismarck duplesiss.
Dnt knw who the lions will pick at loosehead and tighthead but Beast/Guthro will hav the better of them. 4 and 5?? Well i dnt knw, but matfield and botha ARE only the best lock pairing in the world. Our back row cant be matchd anywhere in the world! I give u Burger, Smith and Spies!! 9?? should i even go there?? i will. du preez is the best in the business and he proves it week-in-week-out in the S14! The lion do have the edge at 10 simply because of the experience offered by RoG and SJ. 11??? we have habana lions have SW, probably the only place where the two teams are neck-and-neck. 12+13...seriously now, JdV is a class act only bettered by Ma'a Nonu of NZ. And jacque fourie against BoD will be interesting but BoD edges ths one only slightly though. JP is simply magnificent and monye will struggle 2 keep up with ths guy. 15? LB is the best fullback arnd and SA are still busy running arnd trying 2 find a no.15!! The series is there 4 the taking 4 SA, but by no means will it be easy!! 2-1 to the boks!!
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watching the bulls today I don't feel the boks have too many problems.....apart from the front row which will be the sharks front row which isn't that great.
botha, matfield, spies and steyn were excellent today
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Simon -
I watched the S14 semi as well and yes some very formidable performances. I didn't think Habana was that quiet he had some good runs and when he did touch the ball made ground well. He took his try nicely and it is obvious his eye for the gap is still there along with that pace. Perhaps talk of his demise was premature? He seems to be hitting form just as the Lions arrive...
Spies was incredible, the sheer power and pace for such a big man is amazing. Morne Steyn looks like a very composed flyhalf and he kicks well out of hand as well as from the plate, a factor which must surely weigh heavily in his favour when de Villiers comes to select the Bok squad. The man that stood out for me was du Preez he seems to have an uncanny ability to time his plays perfectly. All three of the Bulls tries were begun by him and his reading of the game and kicking from hand were exceptional. Matfield and Botha it is clear have lost none of their verve and the Lions can expect them to rule the air during the series. All round a good performance and I think the quality of rugby was far greater than the later Heineken Cup final.
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agree with the above comment, Habana took his try well, came inside and ran a good line.
du preez was a class act, picks the right moves and has the physicality to take a tackle(hence phillips inclusion in the lions to match)
Lions have to be wary of Spies as he is powerful, fast explosive....etc but also elusive being able to go round a tackler or use a side step as he did today for his try unlike say a powell who always looks for the contact.
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I would just like to say that a Boks 3-0 win is a possibility, but having said that, I watched the Boks when they toured the UK last year, they didnt impress me one bit. The main advantages that the Boks have is that the long tour for the Lions, may take its toll in injurys, but player for player,both teams are evenly matched, whatever happens I cant wait. Good Luck Lions
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darren1979, with all respect, I think it is pretty clear that man for man the teams are NOT evenly matched. Are you honestly telling me that the Bok lock pairing, back row, scrum half, hooker/prop (capt.), centres and at least 1 wing are matched to the Lions, me thinks not. They have been there and done it, got the t-shirt, and will get the t-shirt again.
Regarding the Bok tours to the UK, it is the end of their long season. The players are usually fatigued, some are injured. They still manage to win. Flip the coin over, the NH teams touring the south normally get a good spanking - it is very seldom a close contest down south.
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To 17 and 34 above..........don't confuse knowledge, understanding and confidence with arrogance, nor should you ever belittle patriotic pride. Perhaps the Poms could learn a little from the so-called SAFFAS. There also seems to be a one-eyed view about what constitutes arrogance. When the Poms boldly pronounce the Lions as the victors, it is called what?....perhaps blind optimism, which certainly does not reflect the performances of the personnel or recent history of the game.
For those of you who are comparing the 97 series with the one that is coming up, I would point out that the world of professional rugby has moved on beyond recognition. In 97, the Bok team was totally different from the 95 World champion side as the professional era was introduced and many top players moved on. However, the side that will face the Lions on this tour will still have the core group of players that lifted the Webb Ellis Cup most recently and I would venture to say that where the players have changed, they are more potent.
As a Bok fan and a fan of Rugby union in general I pray that the Lions bring their best team and produce a good spectacle and when they walk away at the end of the series, whether victors or losers, there are no excuses from either side. May the best team win..........bring it on!!
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You cannot compare a southern hemisphere team tour of the UK, to a Lions tour. The Lions are the worlds truly only touring team. To go and play against some of the worlds greatest club teams, emerging teams, and then play the national teams as well is a very big ask, but also to play all these games in a different climate in the back yard of the Boks just adds to the pressure. I welcome the days when any other national team tries having a go, the financial cost alone would be a struggle for some nations. I still think the Boks will win. But you cannot simply write off the Lions.
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The Lions are HUGE underdogs- but that's the point, backs against the wall, under-siege mentality!
If BOD is fit, and the Lions kick their goals we have a chance.
Boks2-1 I fear though.
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My head says SA 3 to 0.My heart says Lions 2 to 1 in the tests. If we lose the first test in Durban, then things will look bleak!
I still think that McGeechan wont allow a 3 - 0 drubbing, as he's too shrewd for that to happen.
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BoD is very much overrated and that kind of popularity wont do him any good against the springboks who are very good of dealing with popular rugby stars aka Dan carter tri nations 04-08 matt giteau ,
in my opinion you dont want to go to sout africa thinking you'r ethe best in the world in your position because you'll have a massive bullseye on your forehead,thts why haban failed to shine in 2008 and first half of 2009(almost 100%now)everyone was targeting him!
so good luck to BOD .pray you dont accidentanly bump into schalk,bakkies ,juan or jaque fourie
GO BOKKE!!!!!!!!!111
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pierre spies could beat the lions with his left hand
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no, his thumb
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