The sorry Lions

With no RWC matches last night, I found myself feeling some withdrawal symptoms. So I borrowed the DVD about the 2005 Lions and settled in to watch that.

It's hard to think of a more striking case of hubris. There they were, 45 players, 30 support staff (including a guy to measure their rehydration by testing their p*ss) and four international coaches/managers: Woodward, McGeechan, O'Sullivan and Robinson. This lot went on and on about how those Lions would be the best prepared in history.

It's hard to blame them for trying. The Lions had only ever won once in New Zealand. But the 2005 bunch ended up getting spanked 3-0 and losing to NZ Maori. As the performances failed to live up to the hype, Woodward's masterpiece looked more over-contrived, more muddled by the participation of too damn many people, too abundant in infrastructure and buzzwords and too light on guts, the thirst for glory and the sense of fun and spontaneity that should define all rugby tours.

Having said that, Tana Umaga's "tackle" on Brian O'Driscoll and his complete lack of contrition still make me fume. It was a completely cold-blooded, calculating hitman job. I remember watching the last game of the series and hearing the one-eyed kiwi commentator prose on about how "we should spare a thought for Tana Umaga, who has endured so much over the last few weeks." Not as much as O'Driscoll did I would suggest.

Anyway, that's all yesterday's news. Going back to the RWC, I am slightly worried by all the warm and positive stories about England following a mildly competent win over a second tier rugby nation. But the prospect of a France v NZ QF is a cracker, if the last thing the organisers would have wanted. The ABs haven't had a proper game and now they face the hosts in a must-win game... They would never let it show, but I think our local kiwis must be a mite nervous, non?