International rugby window: Lions SLIP through to victory

The conclusion of the The British & Irish Lions tour first match against the Wallabies brought a sense of deja vu about it - a team in a red shirt and white shorts looked on in bated breath as the last decisive kick of a magnitudinous game was about to be taken.

On 21 May 2008, Manchester United players could do nothing but watch in agony in the Luzhniki Stadium, in Moscow, Russia as John Terry stepped up to take the penalty kick that was either going to hand Chelsea its first Champions League crown in the clubs history or give Manchester United its hat-rick of European titles.

But just like Kurtley Beale did at the Suncorp Stadium five years and a month later, John Terry slipped and sent the team in a red shirt and white shorts and its supporters into hysteria.

Yes, popular belief making the Lions favourites to win the first Test was confirmed as fact when the touring side edged out the hosts 23-21 in an exciting match which ticked most, if not all, of the boxes its reputation and build-up warranted. But it was closer than most people thought it would be.

Typically in a tight rugby match where penalties and/ or conversions become a match decider, hopes rest on either team's kicker and this match was no different. Wallaby fly-half James O'Connor was given the kicking duties on the day but fluffed 2 penalties and 1 conversion which totals to 8 points - 11 if you add Beale's off-target penalty attempt in what was the game's last piece of action. Add that to the Wallaby final score and you get 32 and even if George North's disallowed try was given and Leigh Halfpenny succeeding in his missed conversion attempt towards the end of the first half, the Lions' final score would have probably read 31.

Could've, would've, should've don't work in sports in general because it tends to take away the effort and glory of the victor and in sport the victor is always the deserved winner; but again, I just couldn't help but think: 'Would the Wallabies have lost if Quade Cooper played?'

Well, when Cooper plays he takes the kicks to goal apart from the long ones which are taken by Beale; when Cooper plays a lot of pressure is taken off Will Genia and opposition have a double-threat to worry about and when Cooper plays, there's more creativity and a sense of unexpected danger lurking. You didn't get that from O'Connor on Saturday and apart from a few good passes and generally doing the basics, it's hard to pinpoint any special contribution from the Rebels man.

If you're one for stats, the Wallabies are a better outfit with Cooper occupying the play-maker's position but take nothing away from the Lions who scored 2 brilliant individual-effort tries from George North, and Alex Cuthbert who broke the Wallaby line like a hot knife through butter. 

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/the-statictical-case-for-quade-cooper/

And although the match stats suggested that this was a close encounter, the Lions won on the stat which matters most: the score board.

International rugby window: Only faces have changed

When Heyneke Meyer announced the final group of players that were going to represent the Boks in this years four-nation Incoming series comprising of  Italy, Scotland, Samoa and of course, the Springboks - many rugby lovers in the country were excited about the new-looking team and rightly so.

Change is good and to see the likes of  Willie le Roux, Jan Serfontein, Arno Botha and Trevor Nyakane included in the Green and Gold set-up, really brought a sense of freshness and great anticipation for the first kick-off of the tournament against Italy in Durban. Also with Jano Vermaak getting in his first Bok start suggested that there'd also be a transformation of style from the Bok game to a running, exciting and intense game plan instead of the slow, conservative and forward-driven game play we've associated the Boks with for as long as I can remember.

After the 44-10 battering of the Italians, Heyneke Meyer's men confirmed the change of style - at least for that game - with a lot of running on display as the Boks scored some beautifully-worked tries and if anything, they left their beloved supporters wanting more from the new-looking starting XV; but more is not what the Boks gave their supporters against Scotland a week later.

The Scottish out-muscled the home nation with some aggressive rucking and powerful scrummaging with their backs looking increasingly dangerous with ball in hand and running at the Boks; the SA 6-10 Scotland scoreline at half time was no fluke - in fact - it was well-deserved. Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira has lost his form for some time now: we hardly see those impressive carries and solid scrummaging from him; Juandre Kruger is not the same when he is in the Green and Gold compared to when he's in the blue for the Bulls; Arno Botha has not done much to justify his inclusion; Marcell Coetzee and Pierre Spies were no where to be seen and hence why the game was lost in the forwards. That being said - I guess for that reason, you can't exactly fault the backs because the forwards weren't doing enough to give them clean and quick ball. But that was not always the case.

Now to the backs: Ruan Pienaar was too slow when clearing the ball from the ruck; JJ Engelbrecht and Jan Serfontein to be honest, have not given enough to suggest that they are better picks than Juan De Jongh and Willie le Roux has not done enough - at least yet - to convince that he's the future Springbok to occupy the last line of defence.

As a result - because the Boks were under pressure - they resorted to their old ways in the second half of playing eight-man rugby in a slow and conservative manner and confirmed my fears of just the faces changing in the team and nothing else, in the process.

I truly believe that there are solutions - picking players on merit for one - and a new approach from the coach to adapt to the modern age of running rugby for another. Players like Heinrich Brussow to neutralise the breakdown headaches, Juan De Jongh whose quick feet can unlock any defence, Siya Kolisi whose got great carrying ability and pace, Ryan Kankowski whose never really gotten his chance - and a fully fit Jano Vermaak - just to name a few.

With the usual Bok vulnerabilities exposed again against Scotland and a flattering 30-17 final score - I'm afraid as it stands, there's no new game plan but just a change of faces.

International rugby window.

There are many ways for a coach to discipline his players but electing on omitting your star player for the once-in-every-12 years British & Irish Lions tour is not one of them.

 Let's be honest, Quade Cooper's omission from the Wallaby squad has nothing to do with his form on the pitch - it's about the mercurial flyhalf's comments about the Wallaby locker room being a  'toxic environment'. Kurtley Beale hasn't been tested as a flyhalf and James O'Connor is not a specialist pivot which leaves Cooper as the only true Australian stand-off. With the Lions looking like a well-oiled machine already, Australia need their full-strength side; their best XV; and without Cooper - the Wallabies are not at full-strength. Ask the Lions' defence coach Andy Farrell.

"I'm pleased. He's a bloody good player," Farrell said. "If I was the coach I'd want him in my side.

"But, having said that, I don't know the background or ins and outs of why he isn't selected. He's certainly a handful. He brings a lot to the party, so I'm pretty pleased."

It's going to be an interesting three-Test series nonetheless and the lucky few who managed to get tickets will get all their monies worth.

Can't wait.