A game which at one point looked set to see The Lions devoured ended with The Springboks on the run.
Indeed, the tourists left the King’s Park on Saturday evening bitterly disappointed at failing to have claimed the opening Test in what looks set to be an epic series. The Lions will know that this was a massive opportunity lost.
The Springboks had destroyed them in the scrum for about 50 minutes and been dominant in the air but the world champions did not play well. They were nowhere near their best. They had, as many thought they might, looked rusty, which was hardly surprising given that this was their first outing as a team in seven months.
But The Lions went out of their way to allow South Africa to settle back into Test rugby.
They afforded them an early try and also toiled hopelessly in the set-piece. Of course, it must be said that the visitors’ cause was not aided by the officiating of referee Bryce Lawrence. Paul O’Connell admitted afterwards that he had been left baffled by the New Zealander’s treatment of Phil Vickery.
But The Lions really only had themselves to blame for what was a substandard first-half showing. They created opportunities for themselves but did not take them.
Worse still, they afforded The Springboks much respect. As Brian O’Driscoll put it, they looked ‘afraid of themselves’ and their opposition in the first half.
In the end, it took the threat of an embarrassing rout to bring The Lions to life. Only when the game looked lost did they play with any freedom.
Of course, their strong finish to the game will be the source of much heart ahead of the second Test, as will their midfield incision, with O’Driscoll and Jamie Roberts living up to their early Tour promise. The players will, most importantly, now believe that they can beat The Boks, that they are up to the challenge.
However, that enthusiasm will be tempered by the knowledge that Peter de Villiers contributed to the deterioration of South Africa’s cohesion in the second half with some bizarrely timed substitutions.
Fatigue had also been a major contributing factor to The Lions’ late dominance and you can be sure that The Springboks will be all the better for having gotten a long overdue 80-minute run-out under their belts.
They will also be better suited to the altitude of Pretoria.
The series is not lost but The Lions, despite their outward enthusiasm, will know that they have blown a glorious chance to take the early initiative.
As Ian McGeechan admitted, they have ‘given themselves a mountain to climb’ and reaching the summit now will be extremely difficult.