Courtney Lawes of the British and Irish Lions has called for there to be less 'handbags' in the final Test against the Springboks on Saturday. Picture: David Rogers/Getty Images
It wasn’t pretty; in fact it was quite awful at times. But that matters little because the Springboks showed just what a fabulous rugby team they are.
Just under two years ago in Japan, Siya Kolisi and his charges won the World Cup – the triumph coming 24 months after the Boks had hit rock bottom, losing by record margins to New Zealand and Argentina.
Some called the win “lucky”, but the reality is they did what was asked of them and completed the job – in some style against England in the final.
Roll on 2021 and almost two years since that victory in Japan. The Boks hadn’t played a Test, bar one against
Georgia, in the build-up to the Lions series and, if truth be told, they shouldn’t have had a chance of winning
the series.
They were underprepared, short of game time, hit by injuries and Covid and they were forced to play at sea level, taking away the advantage of two Tests on the highveld.
Some will argue the Boks were robbed by the officials in the first Test, but they dominated the second Test and showed their class, maturity, and killer instinct to win the third game.
The Boks showed, deservedly, why there are the champions of the rugby world.
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