THE FINAL WHISTLE
MARK KEOHANE: South African rugby shines brightly as good outweighs bad at home and abroad
‘The good outweighed the bad in South African rugby and overseas, the South African influence could not be ignored’
Everything that is strong and vulnerable about the state of the South African professional game was on show last weekend. Fortunately the strong triumphed, which allows for no excuses about quality of player or Springbok expectation when the French tour in June. The Lions win against the Stormers was decisive and brutal. It showed just how much the Lions have matured in the past three seasons. They’re nearing a peak whereas the Stormers are much where the Lions were in 2015: rich in potential but raw in maturity. The Stormers will struggle to get results in New Zealand, and few international teams would leave there with three successive wins against the Crusaders, Highlanders and Hurricanes. It is the toughest three-match schedule imaginable and if they get one win, they will have done well.More importantly for the Stormers will be how the players mature and how they strike the balance between playing with rugby intelligence and freedom of expression. The Lions were in a similar pos...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.