Saturday 29 May 2021 - 8:00am
South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus (L) celebrates with lock RG Snyman (C) and full-back Willie le Roux (R) after winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup final against England in Japan.
AFP | Odd ANDERSEN
JOHANNESBURG - Rassie Erasmus, coach of 2019 Rugby World Cup champions South Africa, expects the touring British and Irish Lions to play a fast, open game in the republic during July and August.
Speaking during a virtual media briefing on Friday, he predicted that the visitors would avoid becoming involved in an arm-wrestle with the star-stacked Springbok pack. Scotland have eight players in the squad and five are backs, and their coach, Gregor Townsend, is the Lions attack coach. That says a lot, said Erasmus.
It s easy to see the sense in Gatland s side of the Sexton debate
The Ireland captain has paid the price for a frustrating run of injuries. By Ciarán Kennedy Friday 7 May 2021, 7:00 AM May 7th 2021, 7:00 AM 18,645 Views 27 Comments
Johnny Sexton and Warren Gatland in 2017.
Image: David Davies
Image: David Davies
WARREN GATLAND HAD the look of a man who knew what was coming as he took his seat on the other side of the computer screen. The Lions head coach has held court in enough of these press conferences to know that those who didn’t make the cut tend to generate as much interest as those who did receive his seal of approval.
‘La Rochelle reminded me of what we are going to face in South Africa’
Warren Gatland has explained why James Ryan and Johnny Sexton missed out on selection for the Lions. By Ciarán Kennedy Thursday 6 May 2021, 7:23 PM Thu 7:23 PM 18,140 Views 40 Comments
Leinster lock James Ryan.
Image: Dan Sheridan/INPHO
LIONS HEAD COACH Warren Gatland has explained how La Rochelle’s impressive defeat of Leinster last weekend worked against James Ryan when he was finalising his 37-man squad to tour South Africa this summer.
Ryan has struggled for form since an injury-disrupted Six Nations and was one of a number of Leinster forwards who failed to impose themselves against La Rochelle’s powerful pack in the French sunshine last Sunday.
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Jackman: I think it s a big mistake to bring Finn Russell ahead of Johnny Sexton
Bernard Jackman believes that if the Scot becomes the Lions’ Test out-half against the Springboks, they’re ‘dead.’ By The42 Team Thursday 6 May 2021, 8:14 PM May 6th 2021, 8:14 PM 17,723 Views 22 Comments
Finn Russell (L) and Johnny Sexton (R).
Image: Dan Sheridan/INPHO
Image: Dan Sheridan/INPHO
Oh, and throw a Lions squad announcement into the mix for good measure. Quiet week.
Bernard Jackman and Garry Doyle joined Gavan Casey on this week’s
Rugby Weekly to sift through it all, with Jackman and Gavan hanging around for added Lions chat in a bonus episode of
RTÉ Sport Journalist
Concerns over Johnny Sexton s durability played a part in his omission from the Lions squad, according to head coach Warren Gatland.
The Leinster and Ireland out-half had hoped for a third tour call-up but lost out in the selection battle to England’s Owen Farrell, Wales’ Dan Biggar and Finn Russell of Scotland.
Sexton, 35, missed the Six Nations loss to France with a concussion suffered the previous week against Wales, and was removed from play twice with Leinster in late March and early April after head injury assessments. When we looked at where we were going, in South Africa, probably the thing that kept coming back to us was Johnny s durability and being able to put a string of matches together consecutively - and big matches together, said the New Zealander.