Forget winning pretty – go, Bokke

After months of a stop-start build-up and the past few weeks of intense mind games and finger pointing, the three-Test rugby series between the Springboks and the British and Irish Lions all comes down to 80 minutes of fierce warfare in Cape Town this evening.

The Lions took advantage of the Springboks being undercooked in the first Test, having only played one Test against Georgia last month since their World Cup triumph over England in Japan in November 2019. The visitors won the first Test 22-17, but the Boks hit back in the second with a 27-9 victory to square the series.

The series has had it all, but it’s mostly what has happened off the field that has taken centre stage. There’s been no shortage of criticism of the officials, with SA director of rugby Rassie Erasmus charged for misconduct by World Rugby for his lengthy video questioning the match officials.

That aside, the rivalry between the two sides has been as fierce as ever. It hasn’t stopped All Blacks coach Ian Foster from saying the Springboks’ brand of rugby has “put me to sleep”, while former Irish flyhalf Tony Ward said “the so-called best in world playing caveman rugby”.

To use a cliché, there is no comments in the results column. Winning pretty is certainly not a priority for the Springboks today. A win, no matter how ugly, will do for the world champions and their fans. Go, Bokke.