- Crucial injuries
The loss of Alun Wuyn Jones and Justin Tipuric in rather innocuous looking tackles will leave a massive void in the team, outside of their obvious abilities on the field it will be the leadership that is most affected. Looking at the available locks in the squad it seems to be a position of weakness when compared with the physical nature of the South Africans. It would be one thing to lose these players in the heat of battle against South African opposition but to lose them in a team warm up really hurts. Gatland has been smart with the replacements he has chosen because he knows them and their abilities which will help with acclimatizing them with what is expected on the field.
- Underwhelming scrum performance
This struck me as a huge chink in the armour of the Lions as they never got the better of a much smaller Japanese pack even though many scrums when on for a longer period of time trying to win a penalty. The scrum was a pillar of strength for the South Africans during the victorious Rugby World Cup campaign and watching the Lions struggle to put away the Japanese pack won’t instil any fear in the South Africans.
- An overall polished display
This stuck out for me immediately as a team that has gelled incredibly quickly considering they hadn’t played a match together for 4 years. Credit must go to the coaching staff for getting them on the same page so quickly. Combinations are key to getting a settled team and already the starting team will be taking shape in Gatland’s mind. Normally on a tour of this nature it would takes weeks and numerous matches to find out who works well with who on and off the field. This will be a relief for Gatland but whether the team is strong enough up front is a question for another day.
- Questionable defensive strategy
The Lions employed a rather passive defence on the weekend and were happy to give the Japanese extra running metres to stop them burning them with numbers on the outside. This tactic worked against the Japanese but it will be a disaster against the big South African ball carries who loves getting up a head of steam before contact. The All Blacks have given the Springboks all sorts of issues with the rush defence that cuts done the time for the playmakers to pick and choose the right runner. It is very difficult to reset the defensive line after the opposition has broken the advantage line and the passive tactic will make it very hard to stop the Springboks big men.
- Off field issues with make an enormous difference on the field
With the Covid cases the South Africans have had over the weekend it will become a massive difference maker as to who can field the strongest possible team come Saturday. Joburg is currently experiencing an enormous wave of infections and it will be impossible for the teams not to get cases in the squad being based in Joburg. The alternative is moving to the games away from hotspots like Joburg but not playing in the Highveld will help the tourists no end.
Leave a Reply