Springboks vs British and Irish Lions: Test Series Preview

The Springboks take on the British and Irish Lions in an eagerly anticipated 3 test series starting in Durban this Saturday 20th June. Since 1997, the Boks have been waiting for their chance to exact revenge on the Lions for a humiliating 2-1 series loss.

There are many things that make the '97 series similar to this one. Both were taken at a time when the Boks were World Champions. Both Lions teams were coached by McGeechan, and both series have the Springboks as strong favourites.

This time around, I think things are quite different. At the moment South Africa has so many talented players to pick from, lots of experience, and heaps of game breakers. Last time around South Africa had a new coach, (Carel du Plessis) and a captain that was quite inexperienced at International level in Gary Teichmann.

This time round the Boks, have a settled squad, settled coach, and have been focused on this series for a long time. The Lions, well they always produce a strong side being able to draw on four nations, but on paper they simply can't match the class of the South Africans.

The first game sets the tone for the series, and as the Springboks found out last time; lose the first game and the pressure intensifies like something you've never experienced.

The down side for the Boks is the lack of game time for most of their players, but that also has its advantages in being well rested, and fresh. The large number of Bulls players should negate that, and the confidence they'll bring will rub off on the rest of the squad.

The Lions under McGeechan, will once again rely on taking the Boks on physically up front. They'll look for set-piece dominance and accurate goal kicking. In Stephen Jones and Ronan O'Gara they have sharper shooters than the Boks, but less try scoring ability out wide.

There are still some dangerous backs, but they don't have the class right through the backline, or the experience of using them against top class opposition.

The Lions have to go hard out to win the first game in Durban, as the series then moves to the highveld for the remaining 2 test matches. They struggle to win 1, let alone 2 at altitude, so they have to go up 1-0 in Durban to have any chance in the series. The element of surprise is their best hope.

I'm picking the Springboks to win 3-0. The Boks should be too strong up front. The scrum won't dominate, but holding it's own will be enough. The lineouts with Matfield and Botha will be much superior to the Lions and then around the field the Boks have faster and stronger ball carriers.

Whilst Pienaar has his critics and many believe he's underdone, I'm picking him to really shine this series. In my view he is a great flyhalf and has all the skills. He's done a lot of work on his kicking, and that'll really help the Boks.

The rest of the Springbok backline will be too good for the Lions, with Habana set to have a blinder of a series. He's a man for the big occasion, and he'll prove that once again. The one area that concerns me is fullback, but i'm sure Steyn will be solid if not spectacular. That'll be enough.

I can't wait for kickoff on Saturday, i'm sure there's going to be a lot of niggle, physical stuff and plenty of fireworks. But at the end of it all, the Boks will emerge victorious by about 15 points...