The portents for the British & Irish Lions look ominous according to Jake White, the World Cup-winning coach who, like so many others, was hugely impressed by the way the Pretoria Bulls, laden with Springboks, blew away the Waikato Chiefs in the Super 14 final on Saturday. Bryan Habana, Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez and Pierre Spies - all certain starters for the first Test on June 20 - all capped majestic performances with tries as the Bulls mauled the Chiefs.
The Lions coaching team are sure to have watched the game and will have been left in no doubt as to the size of the task they face. "South Africa have got a very special group of players together," said White, who led the Boks to World Cup glory in 2007. "They have won the Super 14 campaign. There are players in the Springbok set-up who have won junior World Cups, senior World Cups and now the Super 14.
"There is no reason why South Africa can't win the series with the group of players they have." * With agencies