Paphos People

British Lions tour in South Africa

Unofficial Cyprus supporters club.

With the start of the lions tour now only just over a month away, it is time for the four home nations to get together and enjoy the spirit of Rugby and cheer on the
boys on this massive test against the current World Champions.

With this in mind a small group of supporters have approached the Zenta Bar in Coral Bay and asked if we can make the bar the official meeting place for Lions supporters for the duration of the tour. The owner has agreed to this and will show all ten games.

So if there are any rugby supporters out there who want to join us on match days for a real rugby supporters get together with a few beers just come along in your rugby shirts and enjoy the spectacle that only comes around once every four years.

The match dates are shown below; if anyone wants any further info re location of the bar or anything else at all please contact me on my mobile 99081432.

Look forward to seeing you there

Andy

Date Kick Off (Cy time) Opposition & venue

Sat 30th May 4pm Highveld XV Rustenburg

Wed 3rd June 8.10pm Gold Lions Johannesburg

Sat 6th June 4pm Free State Cheetahs Blomfontain

Wed 10th June 8.10pm Sharks- Durban

Sat 13th June 4pm Western Province- Cape Town

Tues 16th June 4pm Coastal XV- Port Elizabeth

Sat June 30th 4pm 1st TEST MATCH Durban

Tues 23rd June 20.10pm Emerging SA – Cape Town

Sat 27th June 4pm 2nd TEST MATCH Pretoria

Sat 4th July 4pm 3rd TEST MATCH Johannesburg

I would love to watch as many games as possible, although I cant commit to being at certain bars at certain times. But will be cheering on the Lions.

_________________
Straight talking, no Gimmicks.

Live your dreams.

Hi Andy,

I've moved this into the Sports bar for you - it will stay closer to the top of the page longer in here!

If you remind me nearer the time, I'll add these screenings to our What's on page on the main site too.

Thank you very much. I will give you a reminder a little nearer the time

Andy

Are Springbok supporters welcome?

Absolutely Yes. SA supporters are more than welcome to come along, it will make the atmosphere even better.

Andy

OK, I didn't actually watch any of this, but general consensus from what I've been reading this morning is that S Africa basically used blatant thuggery to secure victory - is this correct?

Unfortunately yes there is an element of truth to what you say, It is awful to see such a talented side who are the current world champions revert to such tactics in order to win the game.

The tackle on the Lions prop forward that dislocated his shoulder did not even get punished at the time and changed the game totally in favour of SA. The fact that five lions players ended up in hospital that night tells it's own story.

It leaves this Saturdays final test a non entity really as the Lions can barely put a full side out. SA did what they had to do to win the series but every rugby fan I have spoken with have been really disappointed by the way the SA side went about it. What should have been a memorable tour for all to watch fell foul of a sides desperate need to get revenge for the Lions beating them in 1997. Playing good rugby came second best to winning at all costs.

Andy

I didn't see the game myself as I'm still in the USA and they don't know what rugby is let alone show it on TV, so I was interested to see what one of the most respected SA rugby journalists (and a particular favourite of mine), Dan Retief, had to say, not so much about Schalk Burger's universally acknowledged stupidity, but more about the fact that nobody has mentioned transgressions by any Lions player - in my experience it's never that one-sided. I'm certainly not defending Burger's actions, but if I read your post correctly, you and CF are effectively saying that thuggery was a Springbok team tactic and you're tarring every team member with the same brush. Not quite the impression I got from this article and friends in Joburg........

Schalk Burger’s “moment of madness” has taken the gloss off what should have been a celebration of an epic test match and a satisfying series victory over the 2009 British and Irish Lions.
The Springboks rode their luck in both games; at first because their coaches conspired to destroy their structure in Durban and then because Burger, by having himself sinbinned in the 32nd second on Saturday, put them under enormous pressure at Loftus.

Then in one of the most extraordinary tests I have seen the Boks staged a quite magnificent fight-back to score two great tries in the final 20 minutes to provide Morné Steyn with his “the winner takes it all” moment after fulltime and the opportunity to secure his place in the chronicles of a contest that traces its history to 1891.

It could have been a victory to savour but for Burger’s quite staggering brain explosion with the game just a couple of seconds old.

One will never know what got into the fiery flanker as television replays provided graphic evidence of his heinous crime. Burger simply seemed to reach over and grapple at Lions wing Luke Fitzgerald’s eyes.

I could hardly believe it when I saw the first replay and no amount of PVR repeats have softened the initial impact.

Burger let himself and his team down – badly.

Sadly he also provided ammunition for those who would stereotype all South African rugby players as louts.

And once it happened there was no recourse for Burger but to face up to his inevitable punishment. Including Saturday’s he has been yellow-carded six times in his 50 tests and there was also the iniquitous incident at the World Cup in France when he was put through the tribunal mill and was suspended for initial period of four weeks, reduced to two on appeal, because of a disputed occurrence in the opening game against Samoa.

Bakkies Botha’s transgression was less clear-cut because he was “cleaning out” a player, Adam Jones, in the aggressive manner which has become the norm in modern rugby. In fact, Botha was immediately hit by a similar charge from a Lion but, as they say, his reputation preceded him.

Tribunals don’t consider incidents in isolation; they look at previous misdemeanours so the big Bull, who was recently in trouble in the Super 14 (also somewhat unfairly), probably had little chance of leniency.

It is also odd that none of the Lions were cited. There were some ugly high tackles flying in and Andrew Sheridan, their agent provocateur, is lucky not to have been asked to answer for a pair of punches that went a little beyond what Bob Dwyer termed “bag snatching.”

However, two wrongs don’t make a right and there is no arguing that Burger’s reckless indiscretion tainted the Springboks’ victory.

Hi Adfam

It is of course just my opinion of the game just the same as the writer of the piece you have shown. We all see things differantly. There were quite a few minor indiscretions on both sides that were dealt with correctly by the referee. High tackles by both sides that were deemed to be miss tacles rather than dangerous were called quite correctly and none were worthy of a yellow card.

I also completely agree that Sheridan should have done time in the bin for his attempted below the waist punch. But the facts show five lions players hospitalised. One with a fractured cheekbone and one a dislocated shoulder which will require surgery. How many SA ended up injured and unable to play next week? none that I am aware of.

I have followed rugby for many years, I have been on the last two Lions tours in Oz and NZ. In my opinion SA are the best team in the world at the moment and I will always applaud the better team, but the way they one this test series spoiled for me what should have been a wondeful occassion for all rugby fans. I'm sure the arguments will continue for a long time.

Andy, I'm not actually arguing - I didn't see the game so I'm not in a position to make a personal judgement - but reading comments like "a side's desperate need to get revenge for the Lions beating them in 1997. Playing good rugby came second best to winning at all costs. " does give the impression that injuring the opposition was a deliberate team tactic, which is not what I read even in UK papers.
Nobody's disputing or condoning Burger's disgraceful actions, but I've just watched a highlights package on YouTube (put together by a British guy) and I'm surprised you didn't mention any positives about the match or the tries. Yours was an excellent finish, wrong-footing Steyn, JP found and exploited a gaping hole in your defense, Habana's finish was pure genius after a great pickup from Spies, and Fourie got the benefit of the doubt from Stuart Dickinson, an Australian ref who's known for doing us no favours.
The fractured cheekbone came after an accidental clash of heads, and no matter how many times I see the Bakkies incident, I can't see how that merits a 2-game ban. I could also only find reports of two Lions players in hospital rather than 5, so what story does that tell?
The general concensus of what I've been reading (and it's not SA press) is definitely NOT that the SA team used "blatant thuggery to secure victory", and that's the point I was trying to make.

Hi Adfam

No argument intended, nothing like a good debate to stem conversation.

Everyone has their own ideas and opinions and as someone who has supported rugby for many many years and travelled the world doing so I guess I felt very let down by what was a fantastic first half of rugby spoiled by non rugby tactics used to ensure a win by the SA. But as I said my opinion only. The SA are a brilliant side who did not need to revert to that type of game.

My error, it was only four not five players taken to hospital, with two being detained in hospital (Jenkins, Jones, Roberts and O'Driscoll).
Again everyones opinion is different, but as far as I was aware you are supposed to lead with your arms in order to drive through a ruck/maul to clear it out legally, I did not see any arms from Botha just a straight shoulder charge and that is why he was sited and got the normal two weeks ban.

You are right there were many positives but in my eyes (again only my opinion) the SA had to win, they knew they were onto a hiding by the second half and changed their game plan to suit.. My opinion will change nothing at all but I will still go and watch the depleted Lions side play the third test on Saturday, but instead of a thrilling final game were all will have to endure a very depleted test side take on the world champions who I am sure that this week will play will all the skill and flair that they are capable of and put about 30 points on us!!!!!!

Thank you for bringing the subject on the forum. I feel much better now after this little airing, so much so I can now go a talk to my SA next door neighbour about it over a beer!!!!!!!( He was with me watching the game and I think he has been afraid to mention it since) ha ha

Never mind there is always Australia in four years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Andy

So if that bloke had been sent off in the first minute like I'm led to believe he should have been, would that not have affected the outcome much?

(Should point out I'm not that bothered really - just blatantly stirring now!)

I'm sure it would have levelled the playing fields a bit and given you a chance of a win You've still missed the point I was making though about it being a team tactic as opposed to a moment of personal stupidity. BTW, 4 Boks were actually injured so we didn't come out of it totally unscathed!!

Malc

CF-- Love the blatenly stirring bit- and yes I am sure if he had been sent off it would have made a differance, but he was'nt and that no excuse for losing a game. The Lions would have preferred to win against a full 15 rather than a side a man down.

Malc. I guess we will have to agree to disagree over wether it was a team tactic or not. For me I hope SA come to the game tomorrow and really turn it on and we see a game of rugby to the same standrd we saw in the first half last week and it stays that way for the whole match. I am not anti SA, far from it, i love the way your side play. ( with last saturday being the exception).

So good luck to both sides tomorrow and I hope both sides come out to play rugby and there is no eye gouging, no high tackles, no below the belt punches and no shoulder led clear outs of the rucks and mauls. With no players injured or ending up in hospital and we see a great game to end the tour

Andy

Hear hear! Just hope I can catch some commentary over the internet!
Malc

Hi Malc, Will you be able to get the 'game' from this site :-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/default.stm

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Mal

Hi Malc,

Sadly no - I tried this and a couple of others for the first test and it's the same scenario as the TV - they know which country you're in and block the content accordingly. Not to worry, being an Oxford United football fan I'm used to live sport radio commentary (we don't get on the TV very often - even less now with Setanta going bust!), so I'll listen to SABC's Radio 2000 excellent commentators again providing they're not on strike.

Thanks for the thought though!
Malc

Somewhere on here will have it to watch online if you check nearer the time:

http://myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=42658&part=sports

Might have to download an additional program - Sopcast or similar - but can usually get a decent picture.

Hi Malc,

If you get a subscription to 'Onspeed' (I think it's £25.00 a year or so) you can get BBC !!! With that running they think you are in UK and it works!!!

http://www.onspeed.com/?MgM=accfcbbcdh

There is quite a bit of info on on the Eastern Cyprus Forum:-


http://easterncyprus.com/viewtopic.php? ... ht=onspeed

Cheers,

P.S. When you back in Cyprus?

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Mal

I looked at Onspeed a few months ago. Good product, but unfortunately it messes up the VPN connections on my laptop which I need for work.

Back in Cyprus Sunday 12th July. I quite like the US, but I am looking forward to getting back to the relative simplicity of life in Cyprus .... and Jackie of course!!!

Malc

OK, so that's

SA: 26, 28, 9

Lions: 21, 25, 28

I make that an overall Lions victory by 74 points to 63 - quite comfortable in the end, well done lads!

That's odd, I could have sworn that the official records I looked at said SA 2, Lions 1, series victory to SA. Strange eh?