The mood has shifted. The gloves are off. A Lions tour that has been all about protecting the right to take part has now become all about winning.
For so many weeks and months, there was a shared goal across the sporting divide between South Africa on one side and Britain and Ireland on the other. There was a mutual determination to somehow make this happen; to keep the show on the road, in defiance of Covid chaos.
Well, that goal has been achieved — by the finest of margins — so that phase is over. The two sides are now entrenched in their rival camps, primed for the outbreak of hostilities. After such an unusual build-up, there is something comforting about normal service being resumed, just in time.
The Lions are ready for their first Test against South Africa after a series of Covid scares
Outbreaks have been overcome and doubts about whether this momentous event would take place have receded. The nagging dread about this once-in-a-generation crusade being wrecked by the pandemic has given way to the welcome tradition of pre-match sparring and antagonism.
As an indication that the outlook has improved, the Springboks and the Lions have started winding each other up, in readiness for the grand occasion on Saturday evening. Their showdown will go ahead against a backdrop of tit-for-tat tension, as if this fixture needed any more ingredients.
Warren Gatland and Rassie Erasmus have both enjoyed stirring the pot. The tourists’ head coach claimed Faf de Klerk should have been sent off for a dangerous tackle in the game against South Africa A last Wednesday, so Erasmus returned fire, releasing clips on social media which suggested Owen Farrell may have been guilty of high shots which went undetected and unpunished.
But Gatland was not finished, rightly arguing that Erasmus — the Boks’ World Cup-winning director of rugby — should not be allowed to provide on-field coaching while masquerading as a water carrier, minus the actual water. He was also incensed by the 11th-hour appointment of a South African TMO and suggested the Lions had ‘dented the egos’ of the hosts in the close encounter 10 days ago.
His sentiments have gone down like the proverbial lead balloon in these parts, which will not faze Gatland in the slightest. The Kiwi has been in his element. He argued that South Africa aided the Lions’ preparations by showing their hand in the guise of a second-string side, but Erasmus was able to savour a 17-13 victory and the fact the visitors managed just one single try, when his team were reduced to 13 men. Time will tell where the moral victory really lay.
Warren Gatland has engaged in pre-match sparring with the Springboks ahead of first Test
Erasmus, who inspired the Springboks to World Cup glory, has also enjoyed stirring the pot
Saturday’s Test is a showpiece fixture without much relevant evidence about the balance of power. The Boks are bound to be under-cooked, but the Lions have had it too easy against most opponents here. The Boks have hardly played since winning the World Cup in November 2019, but the Lions line-up is made up of largely untried combinations.
His sentiments have gone down like the proverbial lead balloon in these parts, which will not faze Gatland in the slightest. The Kiwi has been in his element. He argued that South Africa aided the Lions’ preparations by showing their hand in the guise of a second-string side, but Erasmus was able to savour a 17-13 victory and the fact the visitors managed just one single try, when his team were reduced to 13 men. Time will tell where the moral victory really lay.
Saturday’s Test is a showpiece fixture without much relevant evidence about the balance of power. The Boks are bound to be under-cooked, but the Lions have had it too easy against most opponents here. The Boks have hardly played since winning the World Cup in November 2019, but the Lions line-up is made up of largely untried combinations.
The unpredictable nature of this match is summed up by the presence of two captains chronically short of game-time. Siya Kolisi was rushed back from Covid quarantine to lead South Africa and Alun Wyn Jones has played just 26 minutes out here, after his miraculous recovery from a dislocated shoulder.
Both men can inspire those around them, but the medics and coaches will be watching on nervously as they do so. Fingers will be crossed.
Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones has only played 26 minutes since dislocating his shoulder
Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi is also short of game time following Covid quarantine
The Lions have been bracing themselves for a physical onslaught from opponents renowned for their forward power and set-piece prowess. It feels like we have seen this movie countless times before and the ending is often a grisly one for British and Irish viewers.
Jacques Nienaber, the Springbok head coach now restored to hands-on duties, does not have a full ‘bomb squad’ to deploy from the bench, but he has Steven Kitshoff, Malcolm Marx and Frans Malherbe — three enormous, formidable front-rowers — in reserve. Their presence will allow the home team to reinforce the pack and possibly enhance it after half-time. Those Lions charged with containing that trio will need to deliver the game of their lives.
When the selections were prematurely announced earlier in the week, there was a widespread sense that one side is equipped to overwhelm and stifle, while the other is set up to burst into the lead and try to hold on. The Boks are bound to kick a lot and hurl the kitchen sink at the men in red, who must try to build up an advantage before the final quarter, as there are not too many game-chasers and game-changers on the Lions bench, Liam Williams aside.
It will feel hollow in the empty Cape Town Stadium. It is a shame crowds are not permitted as this would have been a thunderous meeting of rival tribes, on and off the field. But the players will not be short of motivation.
Once again, the Springboks are charged with carrying the torch for a country in turmoil. As well as a third wave of Covid and lock-down restrictions, there have been riots here which left some regions teetering on the brink of civil war. Kolisi and Co will play for a higher cause, as they did in Japan two years ago.
But the Lions have the fervent desire of proud sportsmen desperate to turn a troubled campaign into the career highlight of their childhood dreams. They have been away from families and friends for two months, stuck in a bio-secure bubble, working towards this moment of truth.
Some of them want revenge for World Cup heartache, and the Lions’ agonising fate the last time they were here, in 2009, is another motivational factor. They have done well to have the chance to take part, but now it is all about winning. Gatland’s men know they can do it — and they must do it.