Lifeless Lions learn from struggle

IAN MCGEECHAN might well have good cause to thank his Springbok rival Peter de Villiers for leaving out the Cheetahs’ back row man Heinrick Brussow from his 28-man squad to face the British & Irish Lions this month.

Not so much because Brussow was such a nuisance to his Lions as they stumbled to a third successive win in Bloemfontein at the weekend, but more because he taught the tourists some invaluable lessons on how to play the breakdown area.

Having established a 20-point lead in as many minutes at the start of the game it looked as though Paul O’Connell’s men were going to run up another cricket score to rival their 74-10 hammering of the Golden Lions three days earlier.