David Walsh interviews Springbok skipper John Smit who says the Lions series failed to capture his imagination - all because of a snubbed drinks invitation in The Sunday Times.
“The biggest disappointment for me,” Smit said in his just published autobiography, Captain in the Cauldron, “was that there was no socialising between the teams, due to a fair amount of bad blood.” Now, sitting in a hotel overlooking the Place du Capitole in Toulouse, he tells of a relationship between the teams that was never better than hostile.
“I had been getting our management and players to invite all our oppositions to join us for a beer in the changing room area immediately after the match. We do our media stuff, shower and then share a beer with the guys we’ve played against. On the Wednesday before the first Test in Durban, we threw the invitation out to the Lions. They said, ‘Thanks, but no’. They didn’t want to do that. It was quite disappointing and it didn’t help how the games were played.
“There was an unnecessary amount of niggle, chirping, pulling and pushing, and it overtook what should have been an amazing contest between the Lions and Springboks.”
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