Neil Back

Backy: So far, so good

Thu Jun 11 12:43PM

The Lions' victory over the Sharks made it four wins from four in South Africa and I think head coach Ian McGeechan has every reason to be satisfied with the tour so far.

Lions tours are all about building momentum and I think the players have done fantastically well. They've had two good wins and also come out on top in two difficult battles, and I think the Springboks players will have taken notice.

The breakdown is still a problem area for the Lions and I put this down to the fact that it is an area of the game refereed differently in the Southern Hemisphere.

Refs in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia tend to allow players to seal off the ball and go off their feet more, so the Lions need to look after the ball better and remove the threat earlier on.

We saw in the win over the Sharks how the Lions can break down the opposition when they win quick ball. They have the players who can create space but they need quick ball to do it.

It's a shame most of Springboks have been pulled out of the provincial sides, but the Lions can only beat who is put in front of them. Some people have claimed that the Lions need tougher opposition before the first Test, but the same could be said for the Springboks.

The All Blacks did a similar thing ahead of the 2007 World Cup when they pulled their squad players from a chunk of games in the Super 14. It would have been a master-stroke had the All Blacks gone on to win the World Cup, but we all know what happened to them in France. They lacked an edge and the policy back-fired fairly spectacularly.

Good decision-making can only be learned under the high-pressure conditions of a game - you cannot fully replicate that intensity in training. Wrapping up the Springboks in cotton wool ahead of the first Test may play into the Lions' hands.

The absence of Springboks from the provincial sides may also be the main reason why attendances at games have been so poor.

Maybe ticket prices and the global economic situation have contributed, but it has really surprised me because back in 1997 there wasn't a spare seat at any of the games.

I suspect that won't be the case for the Tests, however. All three will be played in front of packed houses and I think at this stage of the tour the Lions can look forward to the series with a certain confidence.

Comments1 - 3 of 3

I think its apauling behaviour by the springboks to take their players out. After all the lions are a thrown together team and need high quality practice. The comments by the springbok coach may have been tongue in cheek, but there was still a very vindictive nature in what he said. There is competetiveness and there is damn right spitefull, i think this is the latter. Let's all hope this was bad move and they are rusty come the first test. Come on LIONS!
From fairmanmatt on Thu Jun 11 03:25PM
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Correct me if Im wrong but didnt Graham Henry stop his squad from playing for a few months in the run up to the last world cup & look where it got them nowhere . You cant beat high intensity game time to prepare you , the Boks are playing a dangerous game , it may well take them the 1st 2 tests to get used to the intensity & hopefully by the 3rd the Lions will have the series in the bag .
From firstchoicepm on Thu Jun 11 09:26PM
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Lets hope your right!
From fairmanmatt on Fri Jun 12 06:10PM
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