RUGBY ANALYST: The Lions are very much alive and kicking. But unfortunately there's no reward for their effort
SOUTH AFRICA lost to Australia in Durban last August by 15-27 and seven days later, at the altitude of Johannesburg, the Springboks hammered them 53-8. This Springbok team is outstanding and to have pulled through on Saturday in such dramatic fashion is testament to their belief and strength of character. Apart from some serious on-field leadership, Peter de Villiers would now be 2-0 down.
There is no doubt what the Lions have achieved is monumental. To have arrived at the 79th minute of the second Test after bouncing their way around South Africa for seven matches with a real chance of saving the series indicates an even stronger sense of belief and character. That these players only came together a few short weeks back is extraordinary. For those who question the Lions brand, Simon Shaw’s performance and tear-jerking after-match interview, along with Brian O’Driscoll’s hit on Danie Rossouw, show the regard these players have for the famed jersey. The Lions are very much alive and kicking. But unfortunately there’s no reward for their effort.
What a match it was, a 100 per cent improvement from the Lions and the cannon Shaw was simply magnificent. The Lions’ intensity set a much different tone from the off. Paul O’Connell led the way by pulling down the first Springbok lineout. They starved the Springboks of any working space, putting huge pressure on Fourie du Preez at scrumhalf and battled at every breakdown.
Shaw led in every facet of play where his work around the pitch for a 35-year-old was sensational. He completed all the basics of secondrow play and for Rob Kearney’s outstanding try he provided the crucial seven metres over the gain line and a super ball placement that allowed the movement to get Kearney at full flight.
On two other occasions Shaw caught Mathew Rees’ lineout throw and, after offloading to Mike Phillips, he managed to be the first Lions forward to arrive to the box kick, taking one ball from Tommy Bowe. With his age in mind there’s no real future for him but, as a pairing with O’Connell, they could expect to beat any other in world rugby.
As predicted, Schalk Burger was a liability – not just for his amazing indiscretion after 30 seconds, which will be severely dealt with – but for his overall play. On his arrival Heinrich Brüssow continued as he had finished the previous week, stealing ball and crucially dictating the pace during the closing minutes.
Most will rue the cowardly refereeing that allowed Burger the freedom of the park for 70 minutes where the Lions should have played against 14 men for 79 minutes and 30 seconds. But if Burger had been off then it would have been unlikely Brüssow would have come on and influenced the outcome.
The last 10 points conceded will raise obvious talking points, especially as the Test series was lost in those 10 minutes, but the earlier scores conceded cost dearly. And similar to the Irish nation’s reaction to the recession, it’s always easy to point the finger and find one villain. In the few minutes he was on the pitch the Springboks unfortunately managed to expose Ronan O’Gara’s weak defensive game with a ruthlessness that many great sides have failed to do. However the remaining 15-point damage came earlier.
The set-piece has always been the building block for attack and Saturday was no different as the lineout proved costly for the Lions.
JP Pietersen’s try on Burger’s return to the pitch exposed the over-reliance on the prop at the tail. As the ball arrived to the tail of the Springbok lineout, Gethin Jenkins, as is his instinct, focused on the Tom Croft lift but actually failed to even get his hands on him. By then the damage was done as an openside would have immediately sensed the danger of a peel and snuffed it out by tackling Fourie du Preez. The chain effect from Jenkins’ poor reaction was to force David Wallace into taking du Preez and not Pietersen which caught Luke Fitzgerald flat-footed.
Interestingly, the Lions had a full lineout defence but with Wallace in the back line to cover that exact Springbok play.
By putting Jenkins at the tail in an orthodox Springbok lineout they afforded an opportunity to the Springboks. The real irony was that Juan Smith was the target at the tail and none other than Burger lifted him. He shouldn’t have been on the pitch! Bryan Habana’s try had a similar hue about it where the famed Wasps’ defensive system was cruelly exposed on the inside by a pre-rehearsed, perfectly-timed move.
Last week the Lions would have begged for uncontested scrums but the arrival of same on Saturday knocked their patterns out of kilter. For all the work professional rugby players put into preparations, I’m confident neither team had a strategy in coping with the farce that is uncontested scrums. They are a complete disaster and eight substitutes should be allowed to prevent matches drifting. This option must be policed to prevent total substitutions developing. Not unlike O’Connell pulling down the first Springbok lineout, the scrum afforded the Lions several opportunities to set the tone.
On the 16th minute the all-Welsh frontrow had their moment when the six wildebeest locked down for the first scrum. The second scrum that followed almost immediately was very telling. Phil Vickery has traded for years on his bulk as he relies on his ability to overpower his opposite man. Yesterday Adam Jones, with Simon Shaw behind him, was able to outscrummage the “Beast”, Tendai Mtawarira. He elected not for brawn but for brain.
Combined with a week’s analysis of the Springbok scrum and personnel changes, the scrum became a real platform for the Lions. Hence the loss of the scrum, Jenkins and Jones had a monumental effect on the outcome. What a turnaround in one week.
Shaw and Rob Kearney were the men of the match. Scant consolation for them but we must embrace their displays. Their mobility and skills were inspirational. They are wonderful players at either end of their careers, both of whom complete their basics but, like the rest of us, wanted so much more.
