Lions diary, day seventeen

We expected and we got. Peter de Villiers was on sparkling form on Wednesday, trying perhaps just a little too hard to be the main man.

We expected and we got. Peter de Villiers was on sparkling form on Wednesday, trying perhaps just a little too hard to be the main man.
Having dismissed two questions with a quite breathtakingly arrogant pair of answers, prompting one English journalist to declare: “You will pay for that, that will come back to get you” afterwards, he finally descended into the tortured metaphors and idioms we have all come to know and delight at, crowning it all off with a real peach.

Asked whether he would like to play some of his fringe players in the provincial matches leading up to the Test series, he explained that he had wanted to, but some of the players had come to him with a few niggles after the Super 14 so…

“I don't think I am going to cut my nose, just for the sake of being nice.”

What?

De Villiers is making few friends in the media fraternity, with at least three South African journalists going into a fair old diatribe when their opinion on their national coach was coined later in the day.

For what it is worth, here is a measured viewpoint after the anger at the arrogance with which another question about what the afore-mentioned niggles were was answered – “They don't concern me so they shouldn't concern you” – had subsided.

In that press-room were at least two Level Three-qualified coaches, both of whom practice in their spare time. Others have been writing about the game since before De Villiers was out of school shorts.

If De Villiers wants to be taken seriously rather than have everybody publicly haranguing him for his torture of the English language, perhaps he should take us seriously as well, as opposed to the aloof arrogance and occasional contempt he metes out to everyone.

After all, one day – it could be soon – the team will fail. He will need some friends around him when that does happen.

As far as tour fines go, Paul O'Connell might be top of this morning's kangaroo court list. Onto the pitch he strode at the Shark Tank last night, chest thrust forward, jawline set in stone, leading out the lucky boy chosen to be mascot for the evening, the very picture of an inspiring warrior and man to lead the British and Irish Lions.

But… where was Lenny the Lion? O'Connell had left him in the changing room, it was up to one of the fitness chaps to bring him on quietly after the teams had both trotted out. Any case for the defence there, m'lud?

Sources revealed before the start that the Welsh were the ones travelling in the greatest numbers for the tour, but the loudest and proudest? As usual, it's been the Munstermen so far, with a pocket of around thirty or so waving Munster flags and striking up the 'Muuuuunnn-ster, Muuuuunnn-ster' chant (it's very similar to the Li-ons, Li-ons, Li-ons one).

All well and good. But two hours before the kick-off? Was it a long day waiting for the game?

Best-dressed fans at the game – and the numbers are rocketing up now – were the chaps clad not only in Lions shirts, but full-on body length Lion costumes, replete with head and whiskers! Top effort!

Finally, the match result sweepstake among the gathered hacks is yet to be won, with the pot now topping 1,000 Rand. A couple have been close, but with one of England's more respected Sunday newspaper scribes predicting a win for the Sharks by six points on Wednesday, it seems unlikely that the pot will go anytime soon!

Journal kept by Richard Anderson