Sport & Business: The Lions deciding match

Andy Nicol

To stage a major sporting event during Covid has been tough. To stage it in a country that is struggling to cope with the various variants due to a low vaccination rate has been almost impossible but, somehow, the Lions test series against South Africa will come to a conclusion on Saturday in Cape Town.

At various stages of the tour, I didn’t think we would see this happen with covid outbreaks in both the Springbok and Lions camps and warm-up games for both teams cancelled as a result.

It has been a tour like no other. There are many things that make the Lions special; four countries coming to play as one every 4 years, playing in a country once every 12 years and that country being invaded by 40,000 Lions fans that create the famed ‘Sea of Red’.

For the last two Lions tours to Australia in 2013 and New Zealand in 2017, I hosted the Lion’s Den which was the fans zone before each test with 4000 Lions fans crammed into a hospitality venue. It was a remarkable experience, and it was going to be even bigger this year before Covid put paid to all that.

Sport without fans is not nearly as good as sport with fans. We saw that with the Euros whose fans created an incredible atmosphere and now with the Olympics and the Lions tour played behind closed doors. The players and athletes have to create their own atmosphere - which they have done very well but is so much easier when 60,000 fans are cheering you on.

The Lions and Springboks are locked up at 1-1 going into the decider but all the momentum is with South Africa after that dominant display last week. Warren Gatland has reacted to the performance last week and made a few changes but is it enough to turn things back in the Lions favour?

There has been a clear game plan from the Lions in the first two tests and it has been very conservative - a case of trying to contain the Springboks and play field position with the aim of getting penalties and tries from lineouts close to their line. It worked in the first test but only just and probably because the South Africans were undercooked having only played one international in 18 months. It didn’t work in the second test. If the Lions adopt the same tactics on Saturday, they will lose the game and the series.

In sport, and in business, sometimes we need the courage and the bravery to make the big calls and rip up the agreed strategy. Gatland can do that with Finn Russell on the bench, who is a very different player to Dan Biggar, by bringing him in to the game with enough time left for Finn to work his magic. Big moments need big decisions and there are not many bigger moments in rugby than winning a Lions test series.

My heart says the Lions, of course it does, but my head is saying the Springboks to win.

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