The 53 metre heartbreaker
by Mick Cleary | 29 June 2009 (14:32)
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| Morne Steyn © Gallo Images |
From Mick Cleary, rugby correspondent, The Daily Telegraph.
Tell me South Africans, what will you remember from the 2009 Lions series?
That the Lions were bright, inventive, clever, brazen and imaginative, full of running or ideas?
Or that Morne Steyn smacked over a 53metre heartbreaker with the very last kick of the second test to clinch the series?
Do you know what? I have an inkling it might be the latter. As time goes by that impression will grow stronger and stronger, just as Jeremy Guscott's drop goal in Durban in 1997 has been replayed time and again. Little mention has ever been made of the fact that the Springboks themselves made all the running in that series but were undone by their crass selections and coaching.
Fair enough. To the victors the spoils and all that. The losers usually have no right of reply, no claim on a viewpoint, no status. Well, it's about time we changed all that. For if these Lions are not recognised for their true value, then it would be a betrayal of everything this tour is supposed to be about.
These Lions must not be seen simply as losers. There is to be no denying the fact that South Africa were the better team. The scoreboard tells us that. If there was one aspect in which they were markedly superior it was in their finishing. They had chances and they took them. The Lions had chances, particularly in the first test, and blew them.
In almost every other regard, though, the Lions had the beating of their opponents. And that fact must never be forgotten. For if it is, then the whole future of Lions tours will be placed in doubt. If our only reckoner is to be a simple entry in the history books - South Africa 2 British and Irish Lions 0 ( as things stand ) – then we will be doing a great tradition a profound disservice. That entry in the records might even become 3-0, and most certainly will unless some of the injured Lions make a miraculous recovery over the next few days, and pretty soon there will be all manner of people wondering if Lions tours can carry on because the strain on resources is so great and the return seemingly so little.
So, it's time to shut those people up. And do you know who can make the most telling comments of all – you, the Springbok supporters. If all you do is jump and shout and revel in your side's victory, then you will be letting down rugby itself. There should be celebration but no gloating. There should be joy but no triumphalism. There should be recognition of the wonderful captain you have in John Smit and the manner in which he draws the best from himself and those around him, but no sneering at the way in which the Lions struggled at various times.
Be bold and be generous. Raise a glass to Ian McGeechan for what he has managed to do in five short weeks. Raise a cheer for the likes of Jamie Roberts and Brian O'Driscoll, for the splendid efforts of Simon Shaw, too, winning his first Lions cap after 17 previous attempts and at the age of 35. And let's toast above all else a quite magnificent test match, one of the finest in living memory for its drama, for its heart and its soul, and, yes, even for its theatrical finish.
And if we do all that, then rest assured the Lions will be back here in 12 years time looking for revenge.
To read more of Mick Cleary go to www.telegraph.co.uk
Read more on the British & Irish Lions page.
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