Lions Vs Sharks - Match Analysis

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As the tour swung into Durban this week one thing was for sure, the opposition is getting tougher. On Wednesday night, the Lions emerged comfortable victors, but the Sharks were undoubtedly the most concerted opposition the Lions have yet faced.

So, where to place that performance? It was unclear initially and definitely needed to be re-watched. I did that last night and now feel like putting the performance into perspective isn't actually that tough.

It certainly wasn't a glittering performance for the tourists, and though the 2nd half did yield 4 tries, there were plenty of areas for improvement. O'Gara kicked far too much ball out of hand, the inability to finish so many promising attacking platforms early on and the breakdown area were all concerning, but above all the Lions got a fourth win, handled a somewhat dodgy referring display with considerable maturity and amongst a disjointed team performance there was some pretty special individual stuff.

As a reader of a number of rugby message boards, both UK and South African, there seem to be a number of responses to the game. On those frequented by the British & Irish, the main noises made are ones of discontent. On the South African side of things, there are more polarized opinions. Those who thing the Boks will crush anything in their path - regardless it seems of the talent and performances on display - and those who think the Boks are severely underestimating the Lions.

Let me posit another way. The Lions are building really quite nicely. Things aren't perfect, but this is touring and they never shall be. It's a different scenario and the cohesion showed by the Lions has been impressive. This was a side written off before the tour, yet it continues to win, has plenty of individual stars performing well and while the Boks are for the most part sitting pretty in a training camp, the Lions are out getting themselves battle hardened. No, this wasn't the complete performance, but that's not the point.

The Sharks presented a decent challenge despite being shawn of their Super 14 stars. Lacking Pienaar at 10, Dumond did his best, but he wasn't anything like the handful the Pienaar can be. In defence however, the Sharks were a well organised proposition. Despite having something like 80% of first half possession and a huge territorial advantage, the Lions managed to score only once in the first half. Jean Deysel, while not the biggest back rower to have ever taken the field, was a tackling machine all evening and alongside him, the pintsized Keegan Daniel was much the same. King of the tackle count however was Jacques Botes with 14 to his name.

It's an area the Lions will want to improve upon and it spoke volumes about the team. They'd built the attacking platform on teamwork, but they still need to get ruthless with the finishing. That's fine though, I'd hate to see the Lions peak before the tests. This leads me on to my next point.

I'm personally thrilled that the Lions performances to date have been good but not perfect. 'Nearly there' and 'room for improvement' efforts. Real firecracker stuff isn't produced by many teams, week in week out. To get a genuinely tremendous performance out of a team on the day it counts is often as good as it gets. Even the finest teams around, the All Blacks, the Blue Bulls, Munster, Leicester, Leinster, the Crusaders, the Chiefs (you get the idea) rarely produce superlative performances match after match. Repeatedly good, that I'll give you, but the genuinely explosive matches are usually not backed up by the same intensity in the following game. There are exceptions, yes. The Blue Bulls in the final two games of the S14 is particularly salient.

The reason all this matters is because the Springboks are a phenomenal side. The Lions will have to be at their best to beat them. I simply don't want to see the Lions best at the moment. I want that 'A game' to be bubbling under the surface ahead of June 20th so that it can really explode into life in the first test. The unfinished article is, at the present time, perfectly acceptable.

The Lions midfield axis on Wednesday night wasn't what it was a week earlier. O'Gara didn't have the excellent all-round game management, fans and of course himself would have wanted. His kicking from the deck, while superb was marred by a willingness to put ball on boot too often in open-play and some dodgy passing. It is worth mentioning, though not by way of excuse, that O'Gara found himself sandwiched between a Welsh scrum-half and a Welsh inside centre. Stephen Jones a week before had enjoyed compatriots on both sides. It remains to be seen whether we'll see O'Gara again before the tests, but I'd warrant he'll play some part in the series. At his best, he's a genuinely excellent fly-half and while Jones is quite clearly the man in charge, in terms of class I don't think a lot separates the tow.

If O'Gara didn't have a blinder, the centre pairing continues to impress. Roberts and O'Driscoll have a lovely blend of power and guile. The Irishman was shown up for pace however after making a lovely break and I'm yet to see Roberts real pace when running unfettered. He does get along at a nice clip while carrying three Saffers however.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Lions performance on Wednesday was the teams maturity under pressure. It was reassuring to see how, pretty much to a man, the British & Irish kept their head as things didn't go their way. I think we crossed the line four times before eventually grounding the ball, the scrum was a complete farce, we spilled ball in the red zone and gave away penalties when the score seemed just a phase away. Despite all this the Lions never looked like a flustered team. That sort of composure doesn't come easily and at times it has to be forcibly asserted. Come the crucible of the test matches, this unflappability will serve the Lions well.

Another aspect of the Lions game that I'm really liking is the refusal to be bullied. The 2009 pedigree are bringing a controlled aggression to the pitch which feels like the modern day successor of the infamous '99 call'. South African rugby has never been one to shy away from a bit of confrontational argy-bargy, but without exception, the Lions have stamped their authority on any attempt to intimidate or harass. In this area, it's the little things that count.

Despite getting an earful from Jonathan Kaplan, Gethin Jenkins narrowly dodged Du Plessis' attempt at a retaliatory head-butt following one scrum collapse. Jenkins didn't so much as grace it with a clenched fist. He just looked at his opposition as if to say "I'm mashing you up front mate. Is that the best you've got?". Likewise, after taking an admittedly accidental blow on the head from an oncoming Shark that would have knocked a lot of men out cold, Lee Byrne was back on his feet nearly instantly. Lee Mears, illegally scragged at the ruck by a bigger player ended up putting his opponent on the deck, resting an elbow on his windpipe before snarling out the riot act. A club doorman would have been proud. Rory Kockott came bundling over the top of a ruck with the similar level of 'recklessness' that saw Phil Vickery carded 10 mins later but Alun-Wyn Jones, who admittedly has had finer games, dispatched the large scrum half with a Mr Myagi-esque flick of the wrist. All good stuff.

None of what the Lions have done in this area has been over the top. It's not uncontrolled stuff, but it does loudly affirm that the Lions don't plan on being pushed around. It's exciting to watch.

If the defensive display on Wednesday night was the best yet - it'll have had Shaun Edwards crooning Saturday Night at the Movies long into the night - the breakdown remains a concern.

The Lions are generating a decent level of intensity at the contact area, though more is without a doubt needed. The real problem at the moment is technique. Too many Lions were guilty of falling off their feet or not properly going beyond the ball when clearing out. Arriving at the ruck is only half the issue. Once there, the Lions need to drive hard, from low to high, go beyond the ball and then scarper off to the next breakdown double time. Done well it generates quick ball and forces gaps in the opposition defence.

In the build up to Phillips try it was characterised by David Wallace who did great work at the ruck from which the welshman began his run. Arriving from the lineout, Wallace arrived quickly and at pace. He entered the breakdown from behind the back foot and drove hard from low to high. He continued to pump the legs to really free the ball. It arrived on a silver salver for Phillips who wasn't going to decline the opportunity to snipe through the gap. There was still plenty to do, but it was this initial impact that created the chance.

If I were the Lions management, I'd bring in an international ref this week to help the Lions at the breakdown. Too often the tourists were pinged for holding on, not rolling away, flopping over the ball or entering from the side. If the Lions can iron out this errors and tighten up their breakdown discipline as well as their technique, they'll give the Boks something to think about.

Ferris is clearly a huge loss in this area and Tom Croft didn't put his hand up as the powerful replacement at the breakdown some hoped he could be. In truth, though the two men play the same position, they have different styles though similar attributes. Croft simply doesn't have the power that Ferris brought to the field, particularly around ruck and maul, though Croft's step and support lines are probably an advantage over the Ulsterman.

The Sharks game wasn't the glittering try-fest that we saw against the Golden Lions, but frankly, it never was going to be. The winning momentum continues and the Lions play Western Province tomorrow. A win is essential as Western Province are the last proper opposition before the tests. The Lions face the Southern Kings on Tuesday, but the invitational team should be no match for the Lions at this stage in the tour. Tomorrow is all about momentum and ensuring that performance and mentality continue to grow ahead of next Saturday.

Lions Vs Sharks - Match Analysis

Tony Hart - Friday 12th June 11.27AM