the first test is today ,odds from
bet365
South Africa 2/5 Tie 22/1 British & Irish Lions 2/1
Hcap With Tie
South Africa -7.0 10/11 Hcap Tie 16/1 British & Irish Lions +7.0 10/11
the Lions have not shown much up to now , i'm not sure if they have kept something in reserve for the tests
one advantage the lions have is their recent matches whilst the springbox may be caught "cold"
I believe that South Africa will win and will overcome the handicap of -7 points
my reasoning:
Lions have the better front row , will the ref allow proper srummaging , they havn't up to now on this tour
S.A. second row are their strength , o'connell has not showed much up to now ,awj is lightweight
lions backrow is their weakness , lions have gone for mobility a mistake in my opinion , this is where the game will be won
lions have the welsh half backs , phillips is strong but has to step before the pass which slows the pass , he is also mental when riled , S.A. will try to wind him up , can see him getting a yellow card today
Jones , does the job but nothing special
in the backs S.A. have the pace , lions do not have the pace to match , i'm not impressed with moyne defensive work,
byrne , bowe ,o'driscoll and roberts have been the class players on this tour so farand they could produce something special today , if these boys get enough ball we could see a cracker but they need to be on form and minimise their mistakes.
from what i've seen of the tour matches the lions have been giving too many penalties away and if they continue in that vein they wikl be punished today.
S.A. hve lost burger in the backrow but have gained brussow in his place , brussow was impressive when he played the lions earlier in the tour. i think the S.A. advantage in the second row and backrow will win them the match today .
this game is being played in cape town at sea level whilst the other two tests will be at altitude [ playing at altitude will be a disadvantage to the lions],but those are to come , looking forward to today match
my bet is
South Africa -7 @10/11 with
bet365
edit S.A. -7 is now available at evens