The final provincial fixture for The British & Irish Lions on their tour of South Africa seems like an untimely and irritating distraction from the main event.
Indeed, after the drama of Durban most of the media focus has now switched to Pretoria, for the second Test, rather than Cape Town and Tuesday’s meeting with The Emerging Springboks.
However, the clash with South Africa’s finest young talent does offer at least some intrigue in that there are players involved who have been given a glimmer of hope of forcing their way into the Test 22 for Saturday’s second Test, at Loftus Versfeld.
Ugo Monye’s profligacy at King’s Park means that there is now a question mark over his continued presence on the left wing and Luke Fitzgerald and Shane Williams will both be keen to impress against The Emerging Boks.
Ronan O’Gara, meanwhile, has been presented with not only the captain’s armband but also another opportunity to strengthen his case for inclusion on Saturday.
Stephen Jones played his part in The Lions’ second-half fightback against The Boks but he was by no means at his best and the calls for O’Gara to be installed at number ten will grow louder still if the Irishman impresses at Newlands, not least because he is going head-to-head with the rated Earl Rose.
Martyn Williams and Andy Powell will also believe that they could yet force their way into Ian McGeechan’s thinking for the second Test with eye-catching displays. Tom Croft may have excelled in Durban but his back-row colleagues David Wallace and Jamie Heaslip did not. In saying that, the suspicion remains that McGeechan will persist with a back-line combination that he has utilised on three occasions now.
There could be a change in the second row. Paul O’Connell’s leadership has been called into question by some but he again worked tirelessly on Saturday and there is no chance of him being axed. Alun-Wyn Jones’ position is less secure, though, and he could yet lose the number four shirt to Donncha O’Callaghan or Nathan Hines. If O’Callaghan performs well against The Emerging Springboks he could easily be drafted into the Test XV, if only for the fact that his presence might bring the very best out of his Munster and Ireland team-mate O’Connell.
The front row sees starts for the new arrivals, John Hayes and Tim Payne, and Ross Ford. Not one of the three have any chance of forcing their way into contention, though, with all and sundry expecting The Lions to start with an all-Welsh front row of Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees and Adam Jones following last weekend’s struggles in the scrum.
Much is expected of The Emerging Springboks, who are coached by Dick Muir and captained by Bulls flanker Dewald Potgieter, and they should definitely provide a stern examination of the tourists’ mental strength following their bitterly frustrating First Test defeat.
It will certainly be fascinating to see how the line-out and the scrum hold up in Cape Town.
Ultimately, though, The Lions should have far too much class behind the scrum for their hosts, much like last week’s game against the brutal Southern Sharks.
Indeed, it would be a surprise if O’Gara does not prove particularly influential.
Emerging Springboks: Z Kirchner; L Vulindlu, D van Rensburg, M Newman, B Basson; E Rose, J Vermaak; W du Preez, B Maku, W Kruger; S Sykes, W Steenkamp; D Potgieter (capt), J Deysel, D Vermeulen.
Replacements: T Liebenberg, P Cilliers, F van der Merwe, J Botes, H Adams, W de Waal, D Demas.
British & Irish Lions: K Earls; S Williams, R Flutey, G D’Arcy, L Fitzgerald; R O’Gara (capt), H Ellis; T Payne, R Ford, J Hayes; D O’Callaghan, N Hines; J Worsley, M Williams, A Powell.
Replacements: L Mears, P Vickery, S Shaw, D Wallace, M Blair, J Hook, U Monye.