LIONS stars got revved up to beat the Boks by getting nasty with each other. Boss Warren Gatland has warned world champions South Africa to get ready for a rough First Test clash on Saturday. And if any Bok finds himself on the wrong side of a ruck then Alun Wyn Jones’ side have been […]
LIONS stars got revved up to beat the Boks by getting nasty with each other.
Boss Warren Gatland has warned world champions South Africa to get ready for a rough First Test clash on Saturday.
And if any Bok finds himself on the wrong side of a ruck then Alun Wyn Jones’ side have been ordered to get stuck into them.
After a monster training session in Cape Town Gatland revealed: “We had a bit of bone on bone, it’s not something you do a huge amount.
“It was a pretty tough with a little bit of niggle.
“There was a bit of stomping. . . standing on someone’s leg and stomping.
“The guy just had to take a few stomps and get his leg out of the way because he was slowing the ball down.
“I thought it was brilliant. There were a couple of pushes and shoves. Guys were not backing down.
“There was nothing in terms of punches thrown. You just saw guys not being prepared to take a backwards step.
“It just shows what it means. It ramps up that intensity as you get closer to the Tests, particularly at the start of the week when you have a tough, physical session.
“You have guys who are going to be disappointed and they want to show their disappointment about making sure that they don’t go backwards.
“That sometimes flares up into a couple of pushes and shoves and a bit of niggle.”
Twelve years ago the Lions were left licking their wounds after a brutally violent Second Test defeat in Pretoria as they lost the series.
Gatland, a coach under Ian McGeechan back in 2009, hasn’t forgotten that day.
So, on his fourth tour, he is ready for payback after Luke Fitzgerald was viscously gauged at Loftus Versfeld.
The Kiwi said: “There will probably be a bit of pushing and shoving. You get that.
“But the stuff that went on in 2009 with the TMOs and reviews – they will be picked up pretty quickly.
“Schalk Burger admitted that he should have been sent off for that eye gouging incident – he lost his head and was too fired-up.
“You have to take it to the edge, but you also have to keep your control.
“There is a lot at stake for both sides and we have to make sure we bring that physicality – but a controlled physicality.
“The last thing that we want is a Test match decided on someone making a really poor decision – going in with a shoulder, a tackle too high, a yellow card or sent off.
“It is about being on the line, but making sure that they are controlled. The message is making sure we don’t take a backwards step.
“In 2009 there were a lot of guys running in and pushing a shoving – we addressed that as a squad and said that we wouldn’t take any more of it.
“That is why there was probably that niggle in 2009.
“And it is part of the way that they have dominated other teams in the world. You have got to just keep coming at them.”
Gatland also called the Boks one-trick ponies who can only do the route-one ugly stuff.
Even though his side were narrowly beaten by South Africa ‘A’ side last week, they didn’t get beaten-up as a pack.
And he taunted: “Whether they come with different variations, I don’t think so. I think they’ll come with a harder approach.
“It’s one aspect where I think we dented their ego, as they didn’t have the dominance in the areas they would have liked.
“I would presume it’s hard for them to go away from something that’s been incredibly successful for them, so they will be working harder this week to try to get some dominance in that area.”
