Staff Reporter.
Former British and Irish Lion Matt Dawson says “the wheels are off the tour” if the side records a second loss against the Stormers on Saturday.
Warren Gatland’s team were betean 17-13 by a test-level South African A team at Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday.
They face provincial side Stormers at the same venue in their last outing before the three-Test series against the Springboks begins on 24 July.
“The Lions have got to bounce back,” Dawson told BBC.
“If the Lions lose this game, the wheels are off the tour. They’ll lose the series. There will be that siege mentality among the players.
“They [those playing on Saturday] have the responsibility now to give the momentum back to the Lions. I expect the Lions to be full ball.”
Although some labelled Wednesday’s game as a “fourth Test”, the Springboks had a stunted build-up to the match with their win against Georgia on 2 July the side’s only official international since winning the World Cup in 2019.
After a second game against the same opponents was cancelled because of coronavirus cases in both camps, South Africa’s A team will get another run-out against the Bulls at Cape Town Stadium immediately before the Lions’ game on Saturday.
Head coach Jacques Nienaber has made wholesale changes to his team, with only Damian de Allende, Marco van Staden and Joseph Dweba keeping their places, although the squad still boasts nine World Cup winners.
Despite South Africa’s lack of game time and recent six-day isolation because of a Covid-19 outbreak, the hosts stifled the Lions’ attack and only allowed their opponents over the tryline once.
“First and foremost you have got to win the physical battle,” advised Dawson.
“Boil it down to the basics, the Lions weren’t up to speed. How were South Africa up to speed when they have hardly played any rugby?
“The Lions do have to look at themselves and I think Warren Gatland will be the perfect coach to bring that out of them.
“If you think you’re going to go and outpower South Africa, I think you’re barking up the wrong tree. I think you’ve got to be cute and clever.”
Lions attack coach Gregor Townsend – whose coronavirus isolation ended earlier this week – says the Stormers game is “massive for everyone involved”.
Gatland said on Thursday his Test selection was still “fluid” and Townsend added that coaches would begin discussing their team for the series on Sunday.
The Scotland head coach described the Stormers game as “the last chance for players to put their hands up”.