Local press write off ‘ordinary’ Lions

THE BRITISH and Irish Lions received mixed reviews from the South African press following Saturday’s scrappy 26-23 win over Western Province in Cape Town, one outlet preaching that while the Lions have good fans, they’ve “pretty ordinary” players.

Some have also completely misread Ian McGeechan’s selection policy, which is a very simple one: every British and Irish Lion gets a fair chance to prove himself before Test selection, though some of the SA press seem to think that the canny Scot has already divided his squad into midweek ‘Dirt trackers’ and Saturday ‘Test’ sides.

Liam del Carme of the South African Sunday Times wrote that it must be disconcerting to the tourists that “their Saturday side continue to resemble dirt trackers”. Clearly he is taking poetic license in this statement as McGeechan has reiterated that each player will be given a fair crack of the whip on one of the shortest Lions tours in history, a 10-match odyssey.

Del Carme continued, albeit inaccurately: “Unlike their midweek maulers, the Saturday side continue to stutter. Yesterday, again, they got themselves into a tight spot before they skilfully extricated themselves.

“This time it was the turn of Western Province to suffer a close 26-23 defeat to the visitors, who led 18-12 at the break. If the Lions had much to glean from their midweek performances in terms of attack, it is the weekend outfit that have provided the guts and collective will in times of crisis. Those are the characteristics that will stand them in good stead in the Tests.”

The South African Sunday Independent was more direct in its assessment of the Lions, describing them as “modest… at worst pretty ordinary”.

“True, they outscored Western Province by three tries to one. But their continuing tendency to give away constant penalties puts a serious question mark against their ability to live with the Springboks.

“With time running out and the first Test just a week away, you’d have thought Ian McGeechan’s men would have found another gear at Newlands, moving smoothly onto a level of performance which would have crushed a far from full strength local challenge.

“But these Lions continue to look at best modest, at worst pretty ordinary.”

Ashfak Mohamed of the Cape Times believes the Lions don’t come close to matching the pedigree of the Boks, and that McGeechan is leaving it late by mulling over far too many positions for a Test side capable of taking on the might of the Springboks in Durban on Saturday. He also believes the South African half backs, Fourie Du Preez and Ruan Pienaar will direct matters against inferior Lions.

“The Lions have been inconsistent ... I understand that they have mixed and matched their combinations to give everybody a run but that is exactly the problem they have: there isn’t a clear front-runner in quite a few positions for a Test spot.

“These Lions just do not have the talent base of the Boks. And it doesn’t even matter what game plan is employed by coach (Peter) De Villiers.

“Their forwards will be competitive, but even in that facet, the Boks will at least match them. And with Du Preez setting the tempo alongside Pienaar, who is going to stop the Boks? Not these Lions!”