Rugby videos of tackles, tries, funny incidents and more: Lions legends Gareth Edwards and Gavin Hastings discuss the Second Test

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Lions legends Gareth Edwards and Gavin Hastings discuss the Second Test

The British & Irish Lions head to Pretoria on Saturday to take on the Springboks in the second Test of the series following the 21-26 loss in Durban last weekend.

The Lions came back well but came up short, despite a frantic last 10 minutes. There were plenty of positives to be taken from the match though, so they’ll want to build on that at Loftus.

Lions legends Gareth Edwards and Gavin Hastings have a wealth of Test Match rugby between them, so they got together to discuss the upcoming match, and reflect on what can be taken from the previous test.

The big question on everyone's mind if if the Lions can actually win the match at altitude, in front of the passionate Loftus Versfeld crowd. The atmosphere will be intense, but if they can overcome that and level up the series, it’s all to play for at Ellis Park the following weekend.

Edwards and Hastings touch on, amongst other things, the turning points from the match in Durban, the lethal looking combination of Roberts and O’Driscoll, and the precision that is needed to take down the Boks.

Time: 09:20

Good to see players choosen on form for this one - mostly.

Scrum should hold - still not sure about the lineout thou (Hayes would hav ebeen handy in there to lift O Connell)

Good to see Williams on the bench too - could have an impact

Fitzy will have a go too

By mise, at June 25, 2009 11:35 pm
Good grief, this is absurdly optimistic. The saffers dominated and then made some substitutions thinking the game was over. That was the chance that the Lions had. At that altitude at that venue next Saturday there is no chance of a Lions victory - just look at the odds.

As much as it pains me to say - the Lions will lose by 30+ on Saturday!

By Anonymous, at June 25, 2009 11:51 pm
With the best midfield in world rugby at the moment, a sured up scrum and a strong bench i think the Lions have an excellent chance of winnig this game on saturday.

VERY happy to see Fitzgerald on the wing as he can actually finish, come off his wing and make a run through the middle and is the best defensive winger we have.

Also unbelievably happy to see Kearney getting a start as he is in cracking form and will perform far better than Lee Byrne with the kicking game the boks are playing and is also the best defensive fullback on tour and in most of the world as much as it pains me to say.

Yes Lee Byrne is out of the tour and most people will say thats the only reason hes starting but when he did come on he was 10 times better than Byrne. Even if Byrne was fit I would still start Kearney in all honesty.

By Anonymous, at June 26, 2009 12:04 am
Jesus, you people across the sea and your tea...you've even got rugby legends sipping away all dainty-like. ;)

The squad looks good, but the Springboks are looking fantastic. I can't wait for the 3N now, seeing how these guys are playing.

So, is there a rule that says you have to announce your squad before a match, or is it simply to appease the fans? Could Geech keep his lips sealed until game day and have 14 props and a fly-half walk out onto the pitch much to the bewilderment of all?

By Simon, at June 26, 2009 3:03 am
simon, that would be awesome beyond belief

By Anonymous, at June 26, 2009 5:35 am
can see the boks having someone man mark roberts like england did with worsley. only problem is the lions will see this coming and will hopefully use him as a decoy to open space up

By Anonymous, at June 26, 2009 10:58 am
do not give your glasses to a blind man, you will only see his blindness better

By Anonymous, at June 26, 2009 11:45 am
i agree with 3rd comment , we have a brilliant chance of winning , just remember the boks arent invincible, which we all saw in the last 20 , they leak gaps , they miss tackles and most of all the lions are much fitter

By Anonymous, at June 26, 2009 11:57 am
So...
they'll man mark roberts...they'll obviously man mark o driscoll....they'll swarm onto these two with probably 5 players in total.....jones does a skip pass out to the full back or winger....
BANG!
Thats try number one in the bag.

I.e. u can't swarm on top of 2 centres without leaving acres of space out there on the wings...

Still a bit worried about the bulkiness of the backrow, and the hrowing and lifting in the lineout.

But - hopefully the front 5 have enough grunt to free up the backrow. And as for old blue eyes Phillips' dainty stepping while he decides who to pass it too...pee-lease!

Imagine someone as fast with delivery as stringer zippin the ball out from the ruck

I'll stop with the dots there b4 I go dotty

By Mise, at June 26, 2009 12:04 pm
I agree about how absurdly optimistic it is. I've been lucky to experience rugby culture in Australia, Nz, South Africa and England, and really the Brits are always talking themselves up, for every sport, soccer, rugby, rowing, and they rarely win anything.
From a neutral standpoint, I think the boks seem vastly superior in every aspect except the 3 quarters, and this lions team, the pride of the home nations has lost 6 straight tests.

By Anonymous, at June 26, 2009 1:55 pm
Mise: You said you're glad to see the team being picked on form, then you go on to say it's good to have Shane Williams on the bench, he has been woeful and is purely getting in on his previous glory.

By Anonymous, at June 26, 2009 2:18 pm
Agreed it looks a bit strange, but here's the justification:

he deserves a bench place based on his emerging springbok performance - ie his most recent.

Otherwise, he wouldn't.

Only a player who has reached his heights in the last number of years could deserve a benchplace based on the glimpses we saw in that one match.

Plus, maybe more importantly, who else would/should be brought in to cover the back 3? (his catching in the rain and defensive positioning were good in the last match too)

We're, like him...a bit short at the mo...

By mise, at June 26, 2009 3:21 pm
I think A-W Jones should not be on the bench. He didnt do much so far on the tour. O Callaghan should be there. Im a munster fan and that might sound biased but im not. If i could i would takke O Connell out of the team. He has not lived up 2 expectations. He needs Hayes though for his line outs but he doesnt deserve to take Sheridans place on the bench. Im pleased that Shaw is in the XV he is havin a good tour.
COME ON LIONS!!!!!

By Anonymous, at June 26, 2009 5:22 pm
even if hayes is there..he wont help..all he does is lift

By Alain Weyers, at June 26, 2009 11:40 pm
Talk is cheap.

By Anonymous, at June 26, 2009 11:46 pm
What a load of rubbish, the ONLY reason the Lions came back at the end is because De Villers took off 7 key players and put on 7 subs that have no experience together. When are the Lions going to start to release that they are not as good as they make out! I mean seriously, they barely beat the cheetahs and draw with the emerging boks, hell WP almost kicked their butt.
Lions are nowhere nears a force to be reckoned with in int' rugby!

By Anonymous, at June 26, 2009 11:50 pm