The Springboks should maul the Lions

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By Spiro Zavos, 23 Apr 2009 Spiro Zavos is a Roar Expert

Tagged:: British Lions, Ian McGeechan, International Rugby, Rugby Union, Springboks

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Auckland, July 9, 2005. Lions squad during the minutes silence before the British and Irish Lions v All Blacks third test at Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand. AAP Image/Geoff Dale

The bookmakers, wealthy gentlemen who literally put their money where their mouth is, have given big odds against the British and Irish Lions averting a 3 – 0 Bokswash in the coming Test series.

It’s hard to go against the bookmakers and predict anything other than the Springboks giving the Lions a severe mauling.

But if there is any coach in the United Kingdom who can bust the odds against the Lions, it is Ian McGeechan.

McGeechan has a superb record for the Lions as a player and a coach.

He was a shrewd, smooth-running centre for the 1974 Lions when they won the series against a Springboks side that was inhibited, morally and intellectually, in a rugby sense, by the enormity of the apartheid system.

He was coach in 1989 when the Lions defeated the Wallabies, and in 1997 when an inept Springboks side, coached by an even more inept Carel du Plessis (one of the greatest Springboks as a player), was defeated.

The Lions’ victory in 1989 gives a strong clue as to the type of game McGeechan favours, and the players who he has selected for the 2009 trek through South Africa.

The Lions defeated the Wallabies at Sydney to keep the rubber open with dubiously thuggish tactics.

My colleague on The Sydney Morning Herald, Evan Whitton, described the nature of this victory in the memorable line that infuriated the British media contingent: “The scum also rises.”

There is more than a hint that these tactics will be revived in 2009 with the selection of the hard man Paul O’Connell as the captain of the side. O’Connell is a confrontational player who is not averse to belting the opposition or stomping them when his blood is up (which is most of the time).

It was his wild-eyed dive into a maul under the All Blacks posts that stopped the rampant Lions from gaining an unassailable lead in the opening minutes of the second Test at Wellington on the 2005 tour.

He is rather like the enforcer Martin Johnson, who McGeechan selected as captain in 1989, even though he’d never captained a side.

McGeechan said he wanted someone imposing to stand beside the Springboks captain when the coin was being tossed.

To my mind, this is McGeechan-talk (he can make tough things sound like apple pie wisdom with his lovely Scots accent) for warning the Springboks that the Test series will be attritional rugby rather than the flamboyant rugby played by the Lions up to the McGeechan era.

English critics like Stuart Barnes have bemoaned the fact that there is not a great deal of flair among the 37-strong squad. However, this misses the point.

The McGeechan way, going back to his successful stint as coach of Scotland, is a boots and all approach to winning. So this is likely to be a fiery series.

My reasons for going with the bookmakers and believing that that the Lions will struggle to win the Test series is based three factors.

First, South African rugby is at one of its high points. Most of the Rugby World Cup winning players are still around. And they have set themselves, according to Victor Matfield, for this Lions series.

Aside from a flaky coach, Peter de Villiers, and a lack of depth in the first five-eighths position, there are great players, especially in the loose forwards, that will enable a terrific side to be put on the field.

Second, the itinerary has been constructed in a way that difficult for the Lions to cope with. The Lions are shunted from altitude to sea level for first six matches of the tour, the first Test at Durban and a Wednesday match. Then the tour ends with two Tests at altitude at Pretoria and Johannesburg, just in case the Lions win at Durban.

Third, the Lions have a history of being notoriously factionalised.

It was the English players who rebelled against Graham Henry in Australia in 2001. Some of the Welsh players sulked under Sir Clive Woodward in 2005, something that has happened on most Lions tours.

McGeechan has tried to rein in the Welsh factionalism by having Warren Gatland as an assistant coach. But the non-selection of Ryan Jones, the captain of Wales, will not be taken well by the Welsh contingent.

One of the reasons why no fewer than ten Irish players, including O’Connell, have captained the Lions is that the Irish are generally regarded as being able to get on with the Welsh and the English, who generally can’t get on with each other, even when they are playing for the Lions.

But all this theorising.

There is history to be made one way or another by McGeechan and his squad. The first game starts at Rustenburg, in the heart of Afrikaner country, against a Royal XV on May 30.

Let the Lions roar!

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The Crowd Says (117) | Page 1 of Comments

jools-usa said | April 23rd 2009 @ 3:41am | Report comment

Spiro,
O’Connell is a wimp compared with Buccas (?) Botha.
Should be a great tussle.
Jools-USA

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Knives Out said | April 23rd 2009 @ 4:21am | Report comment

“The Lions’ victory in 1989 gives a strong clue as to the type of game McGeechan favours, and the players who he has selected for the 2009 trek through South Africa.”

I very much doubt it. If the ball was slow the 1989 forwards mauled it, and if it was fast they rucked it, hence a compromise was reached between the Scottish and English forwards. Given that rucking is now illegal and given that the maul is essentially redundant, it would take a serious leap of logic to argue that any ‘type of game’ played in the 1980s would have any modicum of relevance to the coming tour. Perhaps this statement has an inherent cynicism to it and implies that the Lions will attempt to ‘biff’ the Springboks, in which case a blood bath could be expected when one recalls the rather criminal behaviour of the South Africans in the most recent 3N.

I do wonder why there is absolutely no reaction nor analysis to the actual Lions squad. A cycnic might suggest that Mr. Zavos isn’t actually familiar with the players, beyond throwaway lines like the reference to Paul O’Connell, a man “who is not averse to belting the opposition or stomping them when his blood is up”, that is. If anybody misses the point it isn’t Stuart Barnes, it is Mr. Zavos. The very valid point made by Barnes is that the Lions will not win a series with a basic game plan. Certainly, that fact will not be lost on McGeechan who was never a ‘boots and all’ coach, which is a lamentably sad, inaccurate comment. McGeechan has always been a liberal coach, so to speak, and this has been reflected in his successful teams: 1990 Scotland, 1997 Lions, 1998 Northampton Saints,1999 Scotland, London Wasps 2006.

I save the best until last. The Irish have been chosen because they enjoy the ‘craic’, because everybody likes the Irish? Stunning.

“One of the reasons why no fewer than ten Irish players, including O’Connell, have captained the Lions is that the Irish are generally regarded as being able to get on with the Welsh and the English, who generally can’t get on with each other, even when they are playing for the Lions.”

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pothale said | April 23rd 2009 @ 4:47am | Report comment

What are you on about in the last para about the Irish, KO? It doesn’t make sense. To me anyway.

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Knives Out said | April 23rd 2009 @ 4:56am | Report comment

That is a direct quotation from the above article. Apparently the Irish are employed as captains because they are happy, jolly fellows. No stereotyping there then.

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pothale said | April 23rd 2009 @ 5:32am | Report comment

Well it’s only a theory stereotype – according to Spiro.

But Spiro also thinks he’s been selected cos he’s a hard man and a thug who likes to get into fights. Betcha he drinks like a mad Paddy as well. And curses too, begorrah.

I’m curious how, according to Spiro, he also “stopped the rampant Lions from gaining an unassailable lead in the opening minutes of the second Test at Wellington on the 2005 tour.” How do you get an unassailable lead in the opening minutes of a match, exactly? Hopefully the Lions will adopt that tactic on the tour.

I’ve also seen him described as a ‘gentle giant’ who got preferred over the fiery O’Driscoll. [Snigger.]

However, according to Jools, he’s a wimp. Well compared to Buccas Botha anyway. Maybe he’s related to Bakkies Botha.

And according to the NZ Herald, O’Connell deposed the failed Lions captain, Brian O’Driscoll, who managed to get himself injured in the first five minutes of the tour and whinged about it for two years afterwards.

Having checked the record, there have been 10 Irish captaincies, 10 English, 9 Scottish and 4 Welsh in the Lions history. The Welsh must only have been warring with the English in certain years then.

Love it. No doubt there’ll be plenty more in the coming weeks.

The great thing is that everyone says they’re going to lose 3-0. Spiro and Stephen Jones have obviously been conferring since they share the same view. Nothing better when a Lions team is being told it doesn’t have a chance.

By the way, Spiro, is the Royal XV that the Lions are playing on May 30 the same as the Highveld XV that they’re playing at Royal Bafekong Stadium in Rustenberg on May 30? Or maybe that’s a local nickname?

Just theorising…….

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Knives Out said | April 23rd 2009 @ 5:47am | Report comment

The more I read the more confused I become. Apparently the Irish captains (Ciaran Fitzgerald aside, I would imagine?!) get on with everybody BUT apparently player division isn’t a problem. The problem is that certain national players have not got on with certain national coaches, not with certain players. So who cares whom the captain is if the coaches are generally the problem? The much maligned 05 tour had an Irish captain and also a Welsh coach, after all. Surely that would have made a difference? Oh well, I have learnt something new today: the Irish are great guys and the Welsh sulk.

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Knives Out said | April 23rd 2009 @ 5:48am | Report comment

Hang on, Pothale. I nearly missed this beauty:

“To my mind, this is McGeechan-talk (he can make tough things sound like apple pie wisdom with his lovely Scots accent)”

That must be some wisdom given that McGeechan actually has a Yorkshire accent. Oh my goodnes.. Nothing like a geography lesson to start the day.

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pothale said | April 23rd 2009 @ 6:03am | Report comment

Ciaran – where’s your f*cking pride – Fitzgerald is a great bloke in my view. Nothing like a army captain to keep the rank and file in order. Those English and Welsh squaddies are always bickering.

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Nick_KIA said | April 23rd 2009 @ 6:21am | Report comment

Why do you guys bother to read Spiro – you obviously don’t like his stuff.

Just theorising…

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pothale said | April 23rd 2009 @ 6:36am | Report comment

Good theory, Nick.

You might have something there. Except. Spiro writes some wonderful stuff and I’ve said so publicly on this forum.

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