Warren Gatland craves sterner tests on reshuffled tour

Whether it is the Stormers or South Africa A that the British & Irish Lions play on Wednesday, Warren Gatland is hoping his players are challenged a little more stringently

Sun, 11 Jul, 2021 - 16:54

Simon Lewis

Whether it is the Stormers or South Africa A that the British & Irish Lions play on Wednesday, Warren Gatland is hoping his players are challenged a little more stringently than they have been in their opening three games on tour.

Having been hammered 54-7 last Wednesday, the Cell C Sharks surprised the tourists in their hastily-arranged rematch at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, stepping in for the Covid-struck Bulls with a less-experienced side than had pitched up in Johannesburg four days earlier but catching the Lions unawares with an opening 40 minutes of sharper linespeed and greater physicality that forced a number of errors and the concession of four first-half tries by Gatland’s men. The game was level at 26-26 by half-time.