IT’S TIME FOR CHANGES WITH TOP WELSH TRIO ALL ON STANDBY
THE Lions fell to an emphatic defeat at the hands of South Africa in the second Test in Cape Town – with everything to play for in what will be a decisive third Test.
Makazole Mapimpi and Lukhanyo crossed for tries for the home side as the Lions went down barely firing a shot in attack.
A grim game blighted by dust-ups and limited ambition turned in the second half as the Springboks took control at forward and gained reward for their kicking game.
The Lions didn’t miss a tackle in the opening 40 minutes but lost the aerial battle after the break and with it went any hopes they had of winning the game as the hosts ran out 27-9 victors.
We look at the winners and losers from a bad day at the office for Warren Gatland and his team.
Winners
South Africa’s bench The bomb squad reported for duty this time, and there was little the Lions could do about it.
South Africa’s reserves made a crushing impact.
Lood de Jager’s introduction midway through the second half sorted out the line-out problems that had plagued the Springboks after PieterSteph du Toit left the field with an injury.
The presence of the 6ft 9in Sale Shark appeared to spook the tourists’ own set-piece, with de Jager stealing a Lions throw shortly after coming on. He also drove the maul that led to Lukhanyo Am’s try.
Maybe he was the key to the game turning so dramatically.
The shadow front row of Trevor Nyakane, Malcolm Marx and Vincent Koch also fronted up.
A week earlier the Lions replacements had been key to the tourists’ success.
But they were eclipsed in round two. Well and truly.
Wyn Jones, Liam Williams and Josh Adams
How shall we put this?
If these three are fit and not deemed undercooked, they should all start in the final Test.
They would improve the Lions side significantly.
Jones can bring solidity at the scrum, Williams can do a better job than Stuart Hogg at full-back, with the Scotland skipper struggling badly, and Adams can provide the try threat that has been sorely lacking in Gatland’s team.
Sometimes when you’re out of the side your stock rises.
The inclusion of Jones, Williams and Adams will enhance the Lions’ prospects of winning the decisive final showdown.
South Africa’s heavy mob
Let’s start with Franco Mostert, once described as Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield rolled into one.
The name of the person who paid him that compliment? Botha himself. Mostert was superb on Saturday, a rock in defence, a threat at the lineout and a grafter in all areas.
Alongside him the ferociously aggressive Eben Etzebeth had another strong game, while Siya Kolisi rescued a try by stopping Robbie Henshaw from scoring, kept tackling and put in several purposeful carries.
The rest of the starting Springbok pack did their bit as well.
It was hugely powerful, and mightily impressive.
Ronan O’Gara
There’ll be plenty who won’t agree with all that he says.
But he isn’t afraid to speak his mind as a pundit and he puts his thoughts across analytically and with conviction.
He’s been good value for Sky Sports in this series – albeit he got his half-time prediction of a South African red card in the second 40 minutes wrong.
Can’t get everything right, I guess.
Faf de Klerk and Handre Pollard It seemed fitting that South Africa’s tries came from kicks from their halfbacks, with Pollard setting up the first with a beautifully judged crossfield job and de Klerk engineering the second with a clever dink through.
The pair led the aerial bombardment that ultimately did for the Lions.
It wasn’t especially pretty, but as the old line goes, it was pretty effective.
The visitors had won the battle in the air a week earlier, but this time the Boks identified potential weak links under the high ball and went after them ruthlessly.
De Klerk and Kolisi were key to the whole offensive.
South Africa’s team bosses
Credit Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus for getting their selection right this time.
They picked a strong-scrummaging front row to start in Stephen Kitshoff, Bongi Mbonami and Frans Malherbe and a more orthodox No. 8 in Jasper Wiese.
And they didn’t panic after losing Pieter-Steph du Toit, one of their key line-out jumpers, to injury.
Indeed, when they brought on the skyscraping Lood de Jager in the second half, their set-piece worked more smoothly than ever. Other replacement calls were made wisely.
All in all, it was a good afternoon’s work by those who run the Springbok team.
Losers Lions’ back three
Stuart Hogg, Anthony Watson and Duhan van der Merwe were probably seeing high balls dropping out of the sky in their sleep on Saturday night.
Maybe each of them woke in a cold sweat.
All had a wretched afternoon in Cape Town, unable to deal with South Africa’s kicking game.
Hogg also missed a tackle as Mapimpi crossed for his try, while van der Merwe was yellow-carded, made no metres with ball in hand and lacked composure.
Watson turned over ball three times, threw a pass into touch and looked a long way from the player he can be.
Sensing vulnerability, South Africa kept applying pressure.
Watson may have some credit in the bank, but the other two shouldn’t bank on keeping their places for the final Test.
The Lions’ scrum and line-out
Tables turned, anyone?
A week earlier the Lions had been on top in the scrums, but it was a different story in round two.
South Africa forced set-piece penalties out of all four of the tourists’ props while not conceding any themselves.
Nor was the Lions’ line-out that much more impressive, with three out of 11 throws being picked off.
They did nick a couple off South Africa, but the Boks impressively
sorted out their problems and by the end were dominant in the throwing, catching and jumping game.
Gatland and his coaching team
They didn’t get it right, did they?
Just two weeks earlier Warren Gatland had noted the Lions were heading into a series against a side who kicked up to 40 times a game.
So where was Liam Williams, a man whose Twitter bio still contains the line ‘Professional bomb defuser for Llanelli Scarlets and the WRU’?
Instead, Gatland and his fellow selectors opted for Hogg at full-back. Now, the Scot may be renowned for many things, but defusing bombs isn’t one of them.
Williams wasn’t even among the replacements, losing out to Elliot Daly, who didn’t win high marks for his performance in the opening Test of the series.
And picking van der Merwe ahead of Adams was also questionable. The big man is a strong attacker but there might be aliens on distant planets who have heard that he isn’t the most reliable defender.
Should the 6ft 8in Adam Beard have been on the bench, potentially to counter the 6ft 9in Lood de Jager at line-out time?
Jamie George? What has he done wrong? Nor does the way the Lions play particularly inspire.
They offered little in attack, even in the opening half when they enjoyed 57 per cent of the possession. Defending superbly, as the Lions did in the first period, gets a team only so far.
With the likes of Hogg, van der Merwe and Watson in the back three they could have opened up more.
Was there any point in picking Hogg and van der Merwe if they weren’t going to be deployed as attacking weapons, with neither player acclaimed for his defence?
Plenty to ponder for Gatland, then.
Rassie Erasmus
He’s in the winners’ section with Jacques Nienaber for the way the pair marshalled their players on the day, and refused to panic after the early injury to key man Pieter-Steph du Toit.
But he’s also a loser in many eyes for the way he conducted himself during the build-up to the second Test.
He had started the week so well by graciously congratulating the Lions on their win in the opening game.
Then a different Rassie Erasmus took over, a man who whinged and questioned the refereeing in that first Test, putting together an hour-long video containing 26 clips that highlighted a range of decisions.
There were suggestions referee Nic Berry had treated the two captains, Siya Kolisi and Alun Wyn Jones, differently.
It was all dismal for rugby generally, a showcase series being blighted by toxic claims.
You wondered whether winning should mean that much, even when the stakes are high.
Dispiriting, then. World Rugby’s response is awaited with interest.