The British and Irish Lions’ second-half capitulation against South Africa on Saturday has set up a tense decisive third Test next weekend. Here, PA examines the talking points from the Boks’ supreme 27-9 victory in Cape Town.
Rassie Erasmus’ social media rant worked wonders
A busy few days await the citing commissioners
Test rugby has a major entertainment problem
? There may have celebrations in the Bok camp on Saturday, but there is still a week of very hard work left in the #CastleLionsSeries ? More here: https://t.co/doQoELQ4xX#StrongerTogether #StrongerForever pic.twitter.com/qF5FJrOXmo
— Springboks (@Springboks) August 1, 2021
Rugby is desperate to grow the game globally, and sell the sport to new territories and groups of potential fans. But any newcomer tuning in to Saturday’s transmission would have been left underwhelmed by the turgidity of a dismal first-half. When even die-hard aficionados are reaching for the off button, the spectacle has long evaporated. Referees and officials have an extremely testing job making the right calls when many of the rules remain open to interpretation, and the lawmakers would do well to remove much of that subjectivity for Test match rugby’s long-term good.
The Lions must regain composure to stand a chance of a series win
Celebrated selector Warren Gatland must pull another masterstroke
