On Wednesday, the British and Irish Lions underwent a harsh reality test.
Coach Warren Gatland insisted that he deliberately belted his team before the first test, and 17-13 lost to South Africa A Will benefit his players, but it is undeniable that it is obvious.
As tensions intensified with verbal barbs between the two camps, only a convincing victory against the Storm could be accepted.
Date, kick-off time and viewing location
The British and Irish Lions vs Stormers will be broadcast live on the Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Rugby at 5pm UK time.
Highlights will be available on All4.
site
The impressive Cape Town Stadium built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup will host the second game of the Lions Tour.
The advantages that springboks might enjoy if they play more games at high altitudes have been discussed a lot. However, with the third wave of Covid-19 sweeping through the province of Gauteng, where Johannesburg and Pretoria are located, all future matches may be held near the Atlantic Ocean.
This may be beneficial to Lions clubs. Losing to the Springboks is essentially the final stage of the team. Apart from the name, the visitors seem to be the best of the two teams.
team
Lions Club
Marcus Smith will wear the Red Lions jersey for the first time after joining the team late last weekend. It was an important two weeks for the 22-year-old player. He helped Harlequins achieve glory in the exciting Premier League final and also played for the England team for the first time. Now, his talent will be shown in the electric backline behind him.
Stewart Hogg will serve as the winger. The Scot only played one game on the tour and is recovering from mandatory isolation due to Covid-19 concerns. He was a firm favorite at the beginning of the first test, but now must prove his game acumen, especially Anthony Watson who left a deep impression in the middle of the week.
Robbie Henshaw has recovered from a hamstring injury and will partner Elliott Daley in midfield. Duhan van der Merwe has made four attempts on the tour, hitting the ball three times in a match against the Sharks last Saturday. Obviously, he is a prolific terminator and he is prone to errors. Only a perfect performance can get him into the starting fifteen of the Boxes.
Among the forwards, one name stands out. Alun Wyn Jones has completed his comeback against rival Lazarus. In the June game against Japan, his shoulder was dislocated, which almost ended his hope of his fourth game with the Lions. But the 35-year-old successfully completed a training course with Wales, jumped onto South Africa on the last-minute flight, and reintegrated into it again.
Marcus Smith will win his first Lions cap in the game against the Stormers
/ Getty Images“Unless he is 100% healthy, we will not take him out,” Gatland said.
The person in charge also sent a message to the fringe: “In the 23rd game, this is their last chance to get a test place, so I want to see a group of aggressive players.
“In terms of 60%-70%, the test options may be variable. We have some ideas about where we are, and we hope to see some other players out again this weekend and take a look at some combinations.
“There are some people who did not participate and we are very satisfied with them, but this is still an opportunity for the team to file a claim on Saturday.”
Lions: Stuart Hogg (c) (S), Josh Adams (W), Elliot Daly (E), Robbie Henshaw (I), Duhan van der Merwe (S), Marcus Smith (E), Ali Price (S), Rory Sutherland ( S), Luke Cowan-Dickie (E), Tadgh Furlong (I), Adam Beard (W), Jonny Hill (E), Tadgh Bernie (I), Hamish Watson (S), Jack Conan (I)
replace: Jamie George (E), Mako Vunipola (E), Zander Fagerson (S), Alun Wyn Jones (W), Sam Simmonds (E), Garteh Davies (W), Chris Harris (S), Louis Rees-Zammit (W)
Stormer
In general, there is nothing that Galtand and Lions will pay too much attention to.
This is the nature of this tour. No matter how many players wear blue and white clothes, it will not pose too much of a challenge to the best players in the British Isles.
Even so, there is still enough quality to provide at least some testing moments.
Seabelo Senatla is one of the best finishers in world rugby. The legend of the seven-a-side tournament, with 203 appearances and 1,120 points of Blitz Bokke points, he hardly needs half a gap to weave his magic.
Although not a substitute like Cheslin Coble, if he finds some space to run Gatland, he may better understand how his last three respond to the threat of speed, because Sergey Peterson and Li Kus Pretorius also acted quickly.
Tim Swiel’s appearance in the flight half provided an interesting narrative clue. The former Quinns center played an important role in Smith’s debut for the club in 2017. He needs the front court ball to operate, and whether he can get a lot from it is questionable. A relatively loose trio can ensure everything in the event of failure.
Springbok center Juan de Jongh won his 98th cap for the club after returning to South Africa after playing for the Hornets for five years.
“Any game with the British and Irish Lions is a historic moment, and we will do everything we can to treat the importance of this game fairly,” Stormers coach John Dobson said.
“This week the team has been highly self-disciplined in our bubble. It is now on the court to do our best for 80 minutes.”
Storm Team: Sergeal Petersen, Seabelo Senatla, Rikus Pretorius, Daniel du Plessis, Edwill van der Merwe, Tim Swiel, Golden Masimla, Leon Lyons, JJ Kotze, Neethling Fouche, Ernst van Rhyn (c), JD Schickerling, Nama Xaba, Johan du Toit, Evan Rose.
replace: Andre-Hugo Venter, Quinzo Bloss, Sazi Sandy, Justin Bassen, Marcel Tenison, Thomas Bercy, Abner Van Reining, Juan · De Jong, Leolyn Zas, Lee-Marvin Mazibko
Official
- Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
- Assistant referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
- Assistant referee: AJ Jacobs (South Africa)
- TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
prophecy
Apart from unilateral contests, it is hard to imagine what else will happen.
Gatland will again be cautious not to reveal too much in terms of obvious strategy, but his players will not fantasize that they need to declare victory to regain momentum before the series.
A small number of people in red will think that this is their last chance to impress, so there will be no obstacle to the objectively weaker team.
The storm’s flexible guards will make as many steals as needed, but they will not be able to hold the line of defense for 80 minutes.
fraction: Lion 60-Storm 20.
