Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from the Lions’ tour
There was much to enjoy on the British and Irish Lions’ latest adventure, not least one of the all-time great test matches in Pretoria last week, but there were down sides too that need to be addressed for the next trip, to Australia in four years.
The Good
The Pretoria test. It was an absolute classic. It was played at a almost frightening physical intensity and had enough talking points to last four years, not least Morne Steyn’s nerveless last minute penalty to win it, and the series, for South Africa.
The fans. Lions tests are so special because no other rugby international is played in front of such a split audience. Home and away fans deserve credit for playing their part in creating a wonderful atmosphere at all three venues.
The locals. With the Confederations Cup also in town over the last month or so South Africans have shown that they are the friendliest of host nations. (Almost) everyone has a ready smile and couldn’t do enough to help.
The TV official. It might sometimes take a long time but surely well worth it as a qualified international referee takes advantage of every available TV angle to decide on dubious tries. Painful though it is to be on the receiving end, in the cool light of day it is by far the best system and makes soccer look laughable with its refusal to embrace the same technology.
John Smit. The Springbok captain was already a hugely popular and impressive figure but somehow furthered that reputation with another commanding performance in terms of leadership and dignity.
Rugby is tough enough without eye-gouging
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has a hard enough time as it is trying to convince the South African media that he knows what he is talking about but his utterances on Schalk Burger have undermined any credibility he has earned from overseeing a series win over the British and Irish Lions.
Saturday’s decisive second test, won 28-25 by the Boks, was one of the most brutal seen for many years, both in terms of legal and illegal contact from both sides.
Five Lions players ended up in hospital while half a dozen Springboks were nursing injuries in the wake of the Loftus Versfeld battle.
Some of them came from legitimate hits or accidental collisions but several did not. Springboks Bakkies Botha and Burger were handed bans of two and eight weeks respectively late on Sunday, with Burger’s punishment for gouging the eyes of winger Luke Fitzgerald in the first minute the main talking point in the build-up to Saturday’s final test.
The flanker was winning his 50th cap having missed the first test through injury, and though he was yellow carded for the offence, many observers, including Lions coach Ian McGeechan, thought he should have seen red.
French referee Christophe Berdos did not see the incident but was alerted to it by one of his touch judges, who obviously did. The touch judge advised Berdos that the offence warranted a “minimum of a yellow card”.
For a referee who had not seen the offence, in the first minute of a massive test match, sending off a key player would have been a huge call and he was given an easy get-out clause by his assistant’s advice.
I have played rugby to a good standard (county) and have been an avid supporter of the game for over forty years. I was disgusted with SA a number of years ago when they became the thugs of rugby union but they then cleaned up their act and eventually NZ took over that mantle but maybe not quite to the same degree! But not far off. After the second lions test we have SA doing it again…and to add insult to injury, literally, they then have 15 players on the pitch trying to defend it with armbands!!! Methinks what they may be saying is its a hell of a tough game and next time you’ll see us brandishing knives and knuckle dusters!! Personally I’m disgusted and whilst I love the game in its honest and very tough form I’m getting close to leaving it forever!!!!!!!!!!
