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« The future is bleak | | Setting the pulse racing »

June 25, 2009

Posted on 06/25/2009

Fortune favours the bold

Stuart Barnes, writing in The Times, believes that some bold selections might help the Lions win the second Test in Pretoria.

"The Lions are adamant they lost on Saturday because of their own errors. Yes, the South African pack battered them at the scrum and the driving aspects of the tight game, a little similar to the storms at sea that made the front pages of the Cape Times on Thursday. Still the Lions insist that had they taken their clear-cut chances and not been quite so heavily penalised for whatever reason, they would be one-nil up.

"The Springbok’s view is utterly polarised. The first hour in which they bashed and kicked their way out to a 26-7 lead was the true reality, the last twenty a quarter of madness in which over-confidence (leading to a rash of substitutions) and a slight tiring after so long without competitive rugby were the stimulants behind the fabulous Lions fightback.

"A week on and with a Test under their belt, the South Africans will be confident that the horrors of the final quarter will not be repeated. However, the Lions see their late collapse as proof that they lack an edge in terms of fitness and I believe that if they keep the ball moving and cut out the penalties, they will win in Pretoria."

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