Tour opener: Gatland not taking Joburg’s Lions lightly

The British and Irish Lions won’t know too many of the names in the Joburg Lions team, but according to Warren Gatland the South African Lions, of all the local franchises, could pose the biggest threat to his side.

The teams meet in the tour opener at Ellis Park on Saturday (kick-off 6pm) in what Gatland said would “always be a difficult game.”

“We’ve had a good look at them and they’re pretty strong up front,” said Gatland, who arrived in South Africa with the British and Irish Lions on Monday.

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The tourists are based in Joburg where they have been training the last few days.

“The first game on tour is always a difficult one and it may take some time for us to get up to speed,” said the three-time Lions tour head coach.

“The Joburg Lions are probably the least affected of all the sides (we’re going to come up against) with regards to players being called up to the Springbok squad.

“They’re a settled team and they’ll look at this game as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They’ll be motivated to play well and they’ll certainly have plenty of desire to try and be the first team to beat the Lions on tour.”

Covid situation

Saturday’s match, like all the others on tour, will take place inside an empty stadium with fans banned from attending because of the severity of Covid-19 in South Africa.

Gatland said he and the players understood the situation and that while it was disappointing to not have all the red-clad Lions fans following the team, everyone was focused on rugby.

“It’s the new normal. We’re pretty used to it now; it’s something all the players have experienced, playing in closed stadiums,” said the Lions boss about living and training in a bio-secure environment.

“We’ve got a lot of things in the hotel to keep us busy, so it’s not hugely different to other tours. The players just don’t have the freedom to do any exploring. Not having the fans here is the big thing though.

“Our bigger challenge now is managing two games a week. I told everyone they’d get an opportunity in the first three games, so after this match we’ll start focusing on the Sharks next week (having already played Japan in Edinburgh).”