Lawrence hung referee out to dry

FOUR DAYS on, and that defeat in Pretoria is still pretty hard to take, especially from a smug South African support base who are slow to recognise the limitations within their own set up. Let’s face it; the Lions could have done with winning last Saturday or even in the circumstances holding on for the draw which their herculean efforts over the last two weekends have deserved.

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.