MARTIN JOHNSON
RUGBY LEGEND DELIVERS HIS BIG MATCH VERDICT
WHAT a compelling Test match that was, a real heavyweight clash with both sides going toe-totoe at the start of the second half, swinging at each other. In the end it was so frustrating for the Lions because they had some great opportunities and weren’t able to take them. I believe they have a lot more in them. I believe they can improve for the second Test next weekend.
It would be wrong to make too many changes for that make-orbreak match – and I don’t think they will.
Where I would advocate selection switches is in the second row. I would have a look at starting with Courtney Lawes and Maro Itoje, and I think that’s an area they will look at. They could help with the pace of the game.
Overall, though, the Lions have in-form guys in the side – and you must give them the opportunity to keep playing.
Don’t forget that they scored the best Lions try of all time and they started the second half well. The trouble was that then came mistake, mistake, mistake – and there was no chance to come back into the match, and the All Blacks took the game away.
The speed of their attacking game wore us down, the speed of the Lions dropped away and then we weren’t competing enough. Suddenly they were going backwards and the opposition was coming through in waves.
People talk about the great handling of the All Blacks, and they are good, but sometimes I think we can get too carried away with the razzle-dazzle and the clever offloading.
I’m more concerned with players being able to handle the intensity of the game, physically and psychologically. Think about the crucial period after half-time when fatigue was kicking in and the subs were coming on. You have to keep being accurate and not making errors. Both teams made mistakes then and it was a matter of who could take advantage. Unfortunately, it was the All Blacks.
Of course there will be errors in a game, that’s inevitable. But you must minimise them. I think of the moment when Anthony Watson made a great run in the second half, went through players Bang! Bang! Bang! ... and tried to throw a pass and lost the ball.
Add them all up for the Lions and there were 20-plus mistakes in the game. That’s one every four minutes and you can’t win a Test like that.
These matches are won on moments. It’s not so much tactics or strategy, that isn’t what wins these games because both teams are trying to do the same sort of thing.
What you want to see is the Lions being able to take the All Blacks down to the last 10 or 15 minutes of the game, because then there is pressure and there is a different dynamic. It was too comfortable for them in this game.
I am sure the Lions will cut down the errors and improve in other vital areas, like competing at the breakdown and the tackling game.
One of the great benefits of these tours is people like Itoje and George Kruis and Jamie George can only be better for the experience. Playing against the All Blacks when they are at their absolute best is something to savour. They can come away and think, ‘Now I know exactly what world class standards are. This is what it’s all about and I have to up my standards’. It’s about understanding how fine the margins are, about creating pressure and how forcing mistakes can be crucial to winning or losing. They have to believe in themselves and keep improving. I’m sure they will but whether that’s good enough to beat the All Blacks, we can only wait to see.