Botha ban very harsh, says Gatland

ON the eve of the third Test against South Africa, Lions assistant coach Warren Gatland has expressed concern at the suspension of Springbok lock Bakkies Botha.

Gatland admitted that both the Lions and Springboks last night met with the referees, a meeting at which it was said the Lions did not have an issue with the incident that led to Botha’s suspension.

Botha was cited following the second Test during which Adam Jones, the Welsh prop, sustained a serious shoulder injury when the big second rower was attempting to clear out a ruck.

Gatland admitted: “We thought it was a very, very, tough decision on him to be banned because Adam Jones didn’t have a problem with it and neither did any of the Lions management in relation to that clean out.

“If you’re going to ban somebody for that you could probably pick out 50 incidents like it in any Test match and do the same thing; there is a possibility he had a bit of history for not using his arms and other bits and pieces, but on that occasion we had no problem with it.

“I think the IRB just need to look at what is acceptable and Paddy O’Brien (IRB head referee) was going to have a chat with the referees to make sure. There are times when players are illegal but on that occasion we agreed that it was legitimate.”

But if Gatland appeared to be extending the hand of friendship to the Springboks, his comments came with a sting in the tail when he said the Lions had also discussed with the referees the need to be vigilant about any off-the-ball incidents.

“We have been told by the referees that they (incidents) won’t be tolerated. We said after the first match that we weren’t going to take any off-the-ball stuff in terms of pushing and chat; yet there were similar issues last week. We’re pleased that the referees have committed to eradicating such incidents; yes, we want hard physical rugby but we want a game without all the extra stuff.”

In a challenge to the current squad, Gatland admitted: “Even though the Lions performances compared to 2005 have been on a completely different level, a lot of tough questions will still be asked of our players because it would be easy for three or four of them not to give 100%.

“It’s got to be where they all produce something special to ensure this tour party produces the Test victory their efforts so far have deserved.

“Up to now, we have been unlucky; we have had hardly any 50-50 calls go our way but none of that will matter if the guys don’t produce the performance of a lifetime — they won’t get any favours from the Boks and shouldn’t expect to get anything special from the officials either.”

It still hurts Gatland that they have lost the series; it will hurt more if they’re whitewashed. “For this team, it’s not an issue we want to contemplate,” he declared.