Lions to overcome strong South Africa ‘A’ side

There are very few truly mouth-watering fixtures in the lead-up to the main event of a British and Irish Lions Test series, but we may just have one in Cape Town on Wednesday.

Dubbed the unofficial fourth Test, there is no doubt that this will be the Lions’ toughest challenge so far as they face a side which is loaded with World Cup winners.

This is, quite simply, South Africa ‘A’ in name only. You can certainly understand the thought process of Rassie Erasmus, who needs to get his best players some game time ahead of the series.

The issue for the director of rugby is not that they haven’t been playing – a number of them have featured in high intensity matches in Europe – but the fact that they have not had that experience of top level rugby for almost two years.

While the individuals from Britain and Ireland have had two Six Nations campaigns and the Autumn Nations Cup, the only international the Springboks have had is a single game against Georgia.

As for the Lions, unbeknown as to what was happening in the South African selection meeting, their head coach, Warren Gatland, is once again looking at different combinations.

There is more of a Test feel to the XV, with Dan Biggar, Conor Murray, Taulupe Faletau, Maro Itoje and Ken Owens forming a pretty impressive spine, but there is still the odd quirk which Gatland is trialling.

Anthony Watson at full-back is an interesting decision while the Josh Navidi-Tom Curry combination gets another outing.

There are still a number of places up for grabs in the Lions 23 but you get the feeling the tourists will be happy that South Africa have been forced to show their hand prior to the Test series.

With the ‘A’ pack containing lineout experts Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert and Pieter-Steph-du Toit, they will challenge Iain Henderson and Maro Itoje in the air, while behind the scrum, first choice pairing Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am will be a significant threat to the visitors’ midfield defence.

All in all, it is shaping up to be a thriller. With Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber desperate for their top players to get some much-needed game time, it is a nicely timed precursor to the main event.

The speculation, to an extent, can stop and we can start to gauge where the two teams are truly at ahead of the first Test in just over a week’s time.

Last time they met

The Lions had just suffered a disappointing 26-21 defeat to South Africa in the first Test when they faced the Emerging Springboks (now known as South Africa ‘A’) in Cape Town. Ian McGeechan unsurprisingly sent out the ‘dirt trackers’ for the encounter and, against a baying Newlands crowd, they struggled to put their opponents away. Keith Earls’ try had helped put the tourists into a 10-0 lead before Earl Rose cut the gap to four points early in the second half. A 77th minute James Hook penalty appeared to have secured the win for the Lions, but the hosts had a final sting in the tail as Danwel Demas touched down and Willem de Waal kicked an incredible touchline conversion with the clock in the red to level matters at 13-13 and stun McGeechan’s men.

What they said

Lions head coach Warren Gatland is surprised by the strength of the South Africa ‘A’ team but believes it will significantly help their preparations for the Test series.

“They’ve gone as strong as they possibly can, given that they still have some players unavailable. It’s going to be a good test for us,” Gatland said.

“I probably wasn’t expecting them to be as strong as they are. They’re obviously short of games. They feel like they’re underdone and they’ll need a hit out or two.

“It helps our preparation immensely. We’ll get a bit of a feel of where we are and what things we need to work on in the 10 days leading into the first Test.”

Gatland also rejected Rassie Erasmus’ proposal of another game between the two sides this Saturday.

The South Africa director of rugby is desperate to get his players game time against top quality opposition but the Lions boss is standing firm.

“If we play a game against a team like the Sharks, the chances of infection are as good as we had when we played Georgia,” Erasmus said.

“We’ve been tested negative two days in a row now. We are in a totally hard bubble, we are moving nowhere. Everybody is negative. The British and Irish squad is negative.

“If the two of us can play the ‘A’ game on Wednesday and play another one on Saturday, I think medically, on player welfare grounds and also for the spectators, it would be wonderful. We would have two good match-ups.

“I’m sure Warren and the guys wouldn’t be afraid or scared or say no to that. I’m going to beg until we find really valid medical reasons why that is not the safest option.

“It would give us the best preparation to be good competition for the Lions – and I’m sure Warren would want us to be at full strength and have good match fitness before we play them in the first Test match.”

Players to watch

Usually ahead of a Lions Test series, the focus is on the make-up of the tourists, but this time, in these unique Covid-impacted times, South Africa ‘A’ is arguably the headline act. Seven starters from the XV that won the 2019 World Cup have been selected in the run-on side, with World Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit one of those to feature.

Du Toit has endured an awful time of it following that success, suffering a serious injury in February 2020 and almost losing his leg as a result. Fortunately, the flanker recovered and returned to the field for the Stormers after 398 days out, remarkably putting together back-to-back 80 minutes. He has been impressive and followed that up with a good display against Georgia in the Springboks’ first Test since the global tournament, but this is obviously another step up.

He will look to link up well with lock Franco Mostert and hooker Joseph Dweba, who will both play crucial roles in the set-piece. With Lood de Jager still finding his way back from injury, it is a huge chance for Mostert to lay down a marker, while Dweba has been rewarded for his fine form for Bordeaux-Begles.

That physicality is something the Lions will have to match if they are to emerge victorious in the three-Test series and it therefore presents Wednesday’s team with a huge chance to ink their names on the teamsheet. Iain Henderson certainly has the power and athleticism to combat the hosts’ imposing back five forwards, while his lineout work will be vital on Saturday. South Africa ‘A’ have more renowned jumpers, with the make-up of the respective packs similar to the World Cup final where the Springboks dismantled England at the set-piece.

Tom Curry was part of that Red Rose eight, acting as a lineout option during that tournament, and will hope for a very different outcome in Cape Town. Despite showing glimpses, the flanker has not quite displayed the type of form which made him one of the world’s best players. Against a formidable outfit, this is the opportunity for him to produce his best and move himself ahead of Hamish Watson in the openside pecking order.

He has, however, been more prominent in the loose, displaying some neat touches with ball in hand, and his linking game will help the Lions’ attack. Gatland’s men have looked to play at pace throughout the tour, a style which has benefited the speedsters out wide. Josh Adams is tantalisingly close to nailing down a Test start but Anthony Watson and Louis Rees-Zammit do, to a degree, have some catching up to do.

Watson is a favourite of Gatland having impressed in 2017 tour and shone in the latter stages of their game against the Sharks, but the Bath man was one of those to be impacted by Covid. As for Rees-Zammit, he has done well without producing the performances which marked him out as such a star in the Six Nations, but his searing pace could cause South Africa ‘A’ significant problems.

Main head-to-head

Due to the sheer strength of the South Africa ‘A’ side, there are a number of mouth-watering duels, but there might be none more important than the clash between Eben Etzebeth and Maro Itoje. Two of the world’s best locks go head-to-head in their first clash since the 2019 global tournament, an encounter where the Springbok overwhelmed his English opponent. Etzebeth and his team-mates dictated the set-piece battle and also dominated the collisions in what was a complete forward display.

Itoje is a smart player, though, someone that has bounced back well after a mixed Six Nations. In his time on the field during this tour, the second-row has impressed without producing the ill-disciplined efforts which plagued him for England earlier this year. However, facing Etzebeth is another step up and the South African will relish facing off against a player he comfortably got the better of in their previous clash.

Prediction

There are players missing from both teams which you would expect to play in the Test series, but the British and Irish Lions have the stronger XV and are further down the line in their preparations. There are also questions over whether South Africa will be used to the physicality and intensity at the highest level having not played a big Test since the World Cup. British and Irish Lions by 10 points.

Previous results

2009: British and Irish Lions and South Africa ‘A’ drew 13-13 in Cape Town.
1997: British and Irish Lions won 51-22 in Wellington.
1980: British and Irish Lions won 17-6 in Johannesburg.
1962: British and Irish Lions won 16-11 in Pretoria.
1955: British and Irish Lions won 15-12 in Bloemfontein.

The teams

South Africa ‘A’: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Sbu Nkosi, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Replacements (from): 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, 20 Rynhardt Elstadt, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Jesse Kriel, 23 Damian Willemse, 24 Kwagga Smith, 25 Elton Jantjies

British & Irish Lions: 15 Anthony Watson, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Conor Murray (c), 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Josh Navidi, 5 Iain Henderson, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Wyn Jones
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Zander Fagerson, 19 Adam Beard, 20 Tadhg Beirne, 21 Sam Simmonds, 22 Gareth Davies, 23 Elliot Daly

Date: Wednesday, July 14
Venue: Cape Town Stadium
Kick-off: 20:00 local (19:00 BST, 18:00 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Wayne Barnes (England), Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)

The Planet Rugby Show

Mark Smith and Adam Kyriacou host the Planet Rugby Show, discussing all the latest news in the rugby world.