Springbok captain Siya Kolisi said he is expecting to be treated fairly by referee Ben O'Keeffe in the second Test against the Lions on Saturday. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
Any match between the Springboks and the British & Irish Lions is a titanic encounter and there’s always “needle” and gamesmanship.
With the public display this week of displeasure by Bok director of rugby Rassie Erasmus about bad refereeing in last Saturday’s first Test – and the howls of anger in response from the side of the Lions and their supporters – today’s match takes sporting tension to new levels.
Was the refereeing bad last week? Yes, it was. Did it affect only the Boks? No, it didn’t, although the Lions came off best in some of the iffy decisions. Did Erasmus need to go public in such a way? Probably not – but he and many Bok fans feel “enough is enough”.
Did Lions coach Warren Gatland and captain Alun Wyn Jones effectively “game” the whole refereeing process? It may well be.
Those debates will continue to burn long after the end of this three-Test tour. And there will never be consensus reached, nor peace made, between the warring factions.
The only way to settle this, is on the field today.
Video clips and whinges won’t save the Boks today. They need to show the Lions why this one country is better than their four.
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