If the Springboks had any hope of ending the British and Irish Lions series with the moral high ground, the selectors threw it away by naming a second-string team for the third and final Test in Johannesburg on Saturday.

After the Lions continued their tirade against the Boks, match officials and anybody else they felt blighted them, Peter de Villiers and his assistants had the perfect chance to show they mean business by selecting their strongest team for Saturday’s Test. But this team, despite what the Bok coach says, is not their strongest.

A lot of people have been talking about the Boks showing disrespect to the Lions with this team. I agree and disagree. I do not believe they are disrespecting this Lions team as Ian McGeechan’s touring party has not shown much of it to their hosts either. I do, however, feel De Villiers and co are not showing the occasion much respect.

Playing the Lions is said to be more of an honour than the World Cup – an honour that only comes around every 12 years – yet Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has handed out Test caps this week with reckless abandon by making 10 (count them) changes to the team!

Zane Kirchner was not considered good enough to make the squad last month, yet after his game for the Emerging Boks (which was far from his best) he is now starting. Jongi Nokwe and Odwa Ndugane, who could not get a sniff of the Test squad in the first two games, are also starting, making it all-change in the back three.

Chiliboy Ralapelle has never started a Test for the Springboks. So why not start him against the best the British and Irish have to offer? What a stupid call, one that could very well backfire, and in turn, cost the young hooker dearly.

Look, some of the calls that De Villiers has made are good ones. The inclusion of Jaque Fourie and Wynand Olivier in the midfield is exciting, while starting with Morne Steyn at flyhalf is logical after last week. But why the glut of changes in the back three?

Frans Steyn was starting to settle in quite nicely at fullback, while Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen are both beginning to show great form. It simply doesn’t make sense to change your entire back three for a Test we cannot afford to lose. If the Lions win on Saturday we will never hear the end of it…

In its own way the third, and final, Test is as important as the two that came before it, which makes a number of these selections bizarre.

I can understand that the Springbok management want to test their depth, experiment with combinations and possibly rest one or two players, but if the Lions series is as important as they say it is, why on earth are they choosing to do that now?

Never mind the fact that fans are paying a ridiculous amount of money for the Test tickets. But then De Villiers has already let us all know that he 'doesn’t give a damn' what anybody else thinks about his selections – or indeed anything else.

This is merely the latest dark cloud over a series that has focussed more on personal agendas than the rugby out on the park. The Springboks should be celebrating their achievements, but the respective coaches have ensured that the media chase other stories.

When this tour was first announced I was ecstatic. The chance to watch the Lions on tour in South Africa was huge — the last 'real' tour in rugby. But after the constant mud-slinging, whining and general poor sportsmanship — from both camps — it could not end soon enough for me…

  • Has the Lions tour come undone? Comments below!


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