Lawrence hung referee out to dry
The chance to go to Ellis Park on Saturday with the series still in the balance was just what this tour, and indeed the Lions as an concept, needed. For those bored with the repetitive nature of the international game, the opening tests of this series have had everything – intensity, drama, controversy and suspense right to the very last whistle.
The debate on whether or not this is a vintage Lions squad can wait another few days but in the cold light of day, Ian McGeechan must look back with regret at the performance over the opening 20 minutes in Durban which ultimately decided this series. The reversal in fortunes in the last quarter when the Lions steadied the ship at scrum time and produced quick ball which had the Springboks quaking in their boots, just reinforces the feeling that had the management been fortified with sterner examinations ahead of that opening test, their weaknesses would have been sorted.
I have often said that the biggest obstacle facing a modern Lions team is the clock. You are like the student who wakes up one morning and realises that the exams are starting in a week. It’s all cramming. Of course we are all a bit wiser with the benefit of hindsight but the Lions management were sucked into a scenario whereby they believed that such was the dominance of their scrum in the opening six games of the tour that they could afford to sacrifice straightforward scrummaging technique with either Euan Murray or Adam Jones for the greater ball-carrying and leadership qualities of Phil Vickery.
Against the Royal XV, the Sharks and Western Province the scrum rescued the Lions at vital moments in the game. South Africa noted this and when Vickery was included for the first test, they targeted him to destabilise that platform. Once the referee Bryce Lawrence got on Vickery’s back and awarded a succession of penalties against him, the management should have made the change after 20 minutes. At that stage the Englishman had no chance as the referee was on his back and Tendai Mtawarira was the dominant force.
With so much uncertainty surrounding the form and fitness of so many of the South African team, the Lions did nothing to create any doubts in their minds. When they eventually started to ask questions it was clear that John Smit’s team were nowhere as good as they thought they were. This point was firmly driven home in Pretoria where the Lions dominated for so much of the game. The Lions management struck gold when Lee Byrne was forced to withdraw with a thumb injury and Rob Kearney was given the No 15 jersey. From the very first up-and-under from Ruan Piennar, Kearney set the tone when he made a magnificent counter attack from deep. This encouraged the Lions to keep the ball in hand and develop the off-loading game that became a necessity in the first test when they had to chase a 19-point deficit.
The Lions grew in confidence while the Boks looked stunned and bereft of ideas. The pity was that they couldn’t keep their game breakers, especially Jamie Roberts and Brian O’Driscoll, on the field in order to capitalise on any opportunities. This Lions team is laced with good quality international players but to win a series down here your exceptional talent must stay healthy. O’Driscoll was in trouble from the time he attempted the double hit on Brian Habana with Gethin Jenkins after only four minutes of the second half which resulted in the Welsh player breaking his jaw. Off camera the Irish captain was struggling big time and it manifested itself when he misread the situation which resulted in that vital try by Habana.
O’Driscoll just doesn’t make those kinds of mistakes.
As a game, last Saturday’s test was one of the most brutal I have seen for quite some time. There must be something in the air around these parts as my last visit to Loftus Versfeld was 11 years ago as part of the Irish management in what infamously became known as “the battle of Pretoria”. I have never seen so much blood in a changing room – and that was at half time. On that occasion there were so many things happening off the ball between the Irish and South African players that the officials gave up. Since then the increased number of cameras that cover a test match have reduced that type of nefarious behaviour, but last Saturday the officials copped out once again, especially Bryce Lawrence who was now acting as assistant referee and was within three feet of the gouging incident involving Schalk Burger on Luke Fitzgerald. He hung referee Christophe Berdos out to dry.
Twelve years ago McGeechan presided over a test series win in South Africa when his side enjoyed the rub of the green. The home team outscored the Lions by nine tries to three over the three tests and by three tries to nil in the vital second test where five penalties from Neil Jenkins and that famous drop goal by Jeremy Guscott squeezed the tourists over the line by a three-point margin. This current crop deserved some good fortune but seemed destined to lose from the moment that Burger escaped the ultimate sanction.
THIS group of Lions are an extremely honest bunch and at least have the satisfaction of knowing they left absolutely nothing behind them in terms of commitment and buying into the cause. The moment that epitomised that for me was O’Driscoll’s bone crunching tackle on the 118kg Danie Rossouw which resulted in the massive Blue Bull being carried off the field. You don’t normally get that from your star midfield player.
After a few well-earned rest days on safari, it was gratifying to hear from Paul O’Connell that far from setting their sights on a rest, they are still up for the challenge in Johannesburg on Saturday. Yes, the series is over and yes the Lions are cobbling a team together – with O’Driscoll and Adam Jones the latest withdrawals – but the least they deserve is to finish this campaign on a high.
They have been honest, competitive and resilient throughout the last six weeks and I, for one, would hate to see a collapse before the post-mortems start in earnest next Sunday.
