And so to the second Test of the series, with the Lions in pole position at 1-0 up, having won both the rugby and reffing in round one. Rassie’s upped the ante this week and lurched uncontrollably into orbit, giving the tourists the moral high ground too. Is Rassie trying a Mourinho by taking all the focus off the players and onto his mighty shoulders, or has he simply blown a fuse and doesn’t know how to stop? I have no idea, haven’t watched the interviews and don’t really care for social media, evil that it is, he writes for a blog. To the rugby.
Wags is clearly expecting the Boks to not only throw the kitchen sink at his side this week, but possibly also the bath (whether or not there’s water or a baby in it), the TV (not ones looted in Durban) and the canape tray emptied in a single mouthful by Frans Malherbe. He’s beefed up his pack with Mako Vunipola starting, and Faletau on the bench, to the surprise of some although he’ll know what his Welsh blokes can do against the Boks better than anyone. In the backs, Connor Murray is there is to out box-kick the Boks and give McDuhan and Co lots to chase, whilst Harris is in to provide more steel in the midfield. It’s a side picked to keep parity early and ease away later.
The Boks have gone for a couple of changes too, with Ox Nche out injured, but surprisingly starting with Malherbe who looked anything but the cornerstone of the scrum last week. Looked a bit more like a Krispy Kreme donut to be honest. So the ‘Bomb Squad’ props start the match, Jasper Wiese comes in at number 8 to add more ballast to the scrum and aerial power for the restarts where Kwagga Smith was found wanting last week, as well as grunt going forward. It’s not a mobile pack by any stretch, but one designed for a single purpose: Searching, seek and destroy! With Metallica’s backing, what could go wrong?
The bench offers more mobility with Smith now on the pine and Marco van Staden in for the overhyped Elstadt and includes Big Trev, who looked good last week, Vincent Koch who knows his stuff and Marx, still a great poacher, defender and ballcarrier. The starting backs remain the same, with the only change being Elton Jantjies out of the 23 in favour of the extra forward. Willemse thus covers everything outside of 9 off the pine.
Gatland has picked a side to combat this, whilst Nienaber has picked a side to combat Gats’ combat and do what the Boks did well in the first 40 last week, but for longer this week or to get even further ahead in the first 40. It’s Combat Rock, kids! You’ll have to Know your Rights, or go Straight to Hell.
Simple plan. But there is still a disjointed feeling about the Boks. The blocks (and Boks) are not quite in place, the kicking game is metronomic, predictable and limited and requires absolute accuracy to be effective over 80 minutes. There was no real dominance up front last week and as the match wore on, the Boks were on the back foot. Having picked a pack to pulverise as his opening gambit, it’s highly unlikely Kolbe and Mapimpi will see any ball down the line in the first half at least. Hell, de Allende and Am will be lucky to see anything other than turnover ball or kick returns. So, who’ll win? If the Boks get that first half ascendancy and a big enough lead, or are able to use a more mobile pack in the second half to stop the Lions getting good momentum, they can turn the tables and sneak a tight win of their own this week. If The Lions start better than last week and have parity or thereabouts at the change – or even lead the match – they’ll be difficult to stop and will seal the series. Either way, one set of players will be heroes come tomorrow evening, keeping the series alive or winning it with two from two. Sadly, I think it’ll be the Lions by about 4 points and series over.
Lyrics by Deebee7
Onna telly this week
Saturday 31st July
| South Africa v B&I Lions | 17:00 | Sky Sports Main Event |
Ovally Balls 
Just skipping the Faf shoulder then?
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No checking of faf’s effort?
Game for the purists this
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Yep, it was clearly to the head!
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Maybe Warren will do a video this week.
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No more farking videos.
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And complainy ones.
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Oh bugger, SA tv have Guscott.
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The game of rugby union is good but the sport is horrible. A miserable half unless you enjoy TMO chats.
Kolbe should’ve got a red.
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Refit, I saw that being complained about this week. Most people said he adds nothing. The viewers have got his number.
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Oops, Hoggy getting some finger contact around the eyes there. From his kid in the Dove advert….
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Think Kolbe was a yellow, eyes on ball, and Murray got a foot down first. Lucky tho.
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Oops. That wasn’t in the plan.
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That’s a very very good try.
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Good try, superb cross kick, well finished.
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Ffs, step away for 5 minutes…
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Oh, so it’s your fault. *shakes fist at Chimpie*
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Hoggy did a catch :)
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Please let the Lions win, I don’t think I could take another anti rugby game next week
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That is a good finish
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Bollox. Boks well on top here
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Been a horrible game
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“Been a horrible game”
Awful
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I’d give that. Only has to be downward pressure doesn’t it?
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Chimpie, aye I don’t understand why even Owens is talking about control as there is nothing in the laws about it
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anti-rugby from the Boks + poor from the Lions
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Ken and LCD seem to have swapped roles.
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Stupid from Sutherland, so many stupid errors from the Lions
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Think that’s game over. Boks dominated the second half
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Raging that I gave money to Murdoch for this heap of shite! Watson, Hogg and VdeM have been bloody awful. Owens, Sinck and Sutherland have been poor since they came on. Faz a downgrade on Biggar.
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Jebus no one can catch the pill
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Faz seems genuinely confused that he might have been shoulder-charged.
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Gats got this badly wrong, playing up tempo rugby is far more likely to succeed, never try to out South Africa South Africa
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The most disappointing thing about that is that it was a dirty match.
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Very poor………….from SA in 1st half and (differently) from Lions in 2nd.
ok – Plan ‘A’ is a failure (inched the 1st game, trashed in the 2nd) – so Lions have to adopt a Plan ‘B’ – which is?
……in the forwards start with the best scrummaging hooker – George; LC-D to the bench
……avoid scrums like the plague – so avoid knock-ons – which means keep the ball in hands and less 50/50 chase stuff
…….line-out is also a problem now de Jager is fit – so keep the ball in hands.
…….start with Price and Russell – Biggar on bench (Farrell not good at chasing a game)
……Adams and Zammit into the 23 – Watson and VdM both poor today.
……Watson to15
blah, blah!
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…….play classy/exciting rugby and leave a good memory
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If Watson was so poor, why are you moving him to 15? Or did you mean Williams to 15.
Ironically I think Henshaw and Harris were OK today, with what little ball they had. I don’t think the starting front row were brilliant, their replacements weren’t great, and what happened to Lawes? So good last week, invisible this week. Think Conan was the best of the back row. which isn’t saying much.
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Great second half by South Africa. Very strong. Lions made to look very very poor.
I agree, Slade. Death or Glory with Russell next week.
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But also SA could well have been down to 14 for Kolbe’s ‘tackle’ on Murray in the air. I would say that was more of a red than Hamish’s tackle last week.
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That substitution of Wiese by de Jager was a masterstroke. Top decision.
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Kolisi’s play on Henshaw was the best of the day I reckon. Really good.
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If you play Finn, then I’d keep Hogg in as well as Price – the 3 of them have played together so many times with Glasgow and Scotland, they know each other’s game inside out. Keep Henshaw and Harris in the midfield, bring Williams and Adams onto the wings. Davies (if he’s fit), Watson A. and Smith on the bench.
That said he’ll probably play Murray, Biggar, Farrell, Aki, Watson, Daly and Williams in the backs.
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Yes slow kicking game didn’t work at all. Last week’s approach with high tempo seemed to work much better but whether SA would have let that happen is another matter. Awful game to watch on the whole.
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Incredibly disappointing second half… scrum fell asunder, no-one in the back three made a decent catch, kick-chase wasn’t effective on attacking kicks… seemed to slow to the breakdown.
Don’t see the entire back three changing but 2 out of three will surely go… Vdm plus A.N. Other. Williams and Adams in.
Henshaw and Harris did OK…. Henshaw was a bit unlucky with the “try”. It depended on the ruling. Had O’Keeffe said try – there wasn’t clear evidence to over rule. Same with Am’s try – O didn’t think on review he had control but TMO didn’t feel he could overrule the on field decision.
Starting front row were OK, replacements less so. Could see Wyn Owen starting if he’s fit. George also. AWJ seemed a bit anonymous but I’d probably need to see the game again (I wouldn’t want to though). Can imagine Henderson getting a run. Itoje and Curry were visible enough.
Kolbe was lucky with the yellow – my view was red. Murray lands on his face. Equally, VDM could have gotten a yellow for the dump on Du Toit and was lucky the kick/trip on Kolbe was seen as only a yellow. I initially thought it was an attempt to kick the loose ball but it was very late…
Overall, a rotten game really.
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Just finished the first half. First impressions? AWJ sets the tone for the niggle in the 1st minute by starting the push and shove when not needed. Itoje and Curry started the 2nd silly handbags session.
Kolbe yellow could have been red, possibly lucky, but seen worse not given red. McDuhan was dumb. Henshaw’s disallowed try was unlucky: probably correct decision, but fuck me, that’s pernickety.
Mbonambi shove on Biggar was a non-event. LCD (I think) got away with exactly what Mbonambi was penalised for with the no-arms tackle on half time.
Not great rugby, tough, tetchy but FFS folks, it’s a series defining match. A series played once every 12 years.
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SA certainly dominated the second half. Fully deserved the win.
First half particularly hard on the eye
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54 minutes in and my man crush Mapimpi has put the Boks in front. Still scrappy, still cagey.
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Faf fluffs a simple scrum move.
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Right. Front rows emptied. Price and Farrell on too. De Jager on for Wiese? Interesting.
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Bok scrum not organised. A couple of free kicks for early engagement now. Big Trev in da house!
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Which kinda suggests he wasn’t on earlier…
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