Rugby Expo

The dreaded dead rubber

04 Jul 2009

The dreaded dead rubber in the dreaded Johannesburg. It is the scenario all British and Irish fans feared the most; the gloomiest of ends to the most colourful and thrilling of series. Dead rubbers traditionally produce hollow and soulless affiars, removing all the ingredients at the essence of this epic battle between the Lions and Springboks: passion, desire and a relentless will to win. Today's game could defy these norms; there is so much pride at stake for the Lions, with the sporting nadir of the whitewash looming over them like an executioner's blade, which should ensure they come out fighting. The largely unproven South Africa side which has been selected have no shortage of motivation to prove their quality, too. This Lions matchday sqaud have the chance to breath life back into the badge, and the result could have implications far beyond the 80 minutes today. Who knows where the future of the Lions stands after this tour; but for the supporters, I know that the chance to paint the town red in victory and not in sorrow, would mean the world to them.

I am starting to think that I am an unlucky charm for the Lions. With fifteen mintues remaining in the second test last Saturday in Pretoria, I thought I was gloriously going to end my agonising four-test winless streak. Instead, with the arrival of Morne Steyn, it moved somewhat inexorably to five, as the local hero dissected the posts with his last-minute kick. Loftus Versfeld played host to another fantastic rugby occasion on this tour, and an epic test match of course, which so agonisingly fell the wrong way in the eyes of the red-clad followers. The Pretoria crowd were certainly a harsher breed than the laid-back, surf-loving Durbanites. Far removed from the carnival atmosphere at Kings Park for the first test, it was like a bull-fighting arena at Loftus (appropriately given that their all-conquering Super 14 side are named the Blue Bulls), with the locals baying for blood.

Thousands of Lions supporters have migrated many hundreds of kilometres east this week to the safari haven of Kruger Park, and some even further afield to the beaches of Mozambique. With the oppressing concrete jungle of Johannesburg the only aternative, it seemed the further away the better for the Lions fans. The one saving grace for the city could be Ellis Park, yet another famous ground on this tour, perhaps the most famous of all in the rugby world for staging the momentous 1995 World Cup final. The excitement still stirs inside me for today's game, naturally the fires do not burn so bright as before, but it has been one of those tours, and one of those countries – you just don't know what is around the corner. I am sure the rugby Gods have written another supreme script for this most famous of grounds.

In a series which has provided so much drama, this seems a sad way to bring the cutrain down on the action. History does not dictate kindly to brave losers – it is all black and white – and a 3-0 loss would not reflect the courage and quality of this team; a Lions win, however, would at least give some reflection of the tightness of this series, and most certainly warm the hearts of the people who are experiencing it in the here and now, living and breathing the tour from the stands.

All the best

Joe Williams

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