People tend to get a bit doe-eyed about the British and Irish Lions, but there was no kind of spin to make the start of what appears to be an ill-fated 2021 tour at Murrayfield anything but a damp squib.
The Lions beat Japan 28-10 in the tour opener/farewell, but suffered the loss of their totemic captain Alun Wyn Jones after just seven short minutes of play. They later lost dynamic Welsh back rower Justin Tipuric and actually finished the game with 14 men because they were concerned about more injuries.
A day for the debutants at BT Murrayfield š„³@duhanvdmerwe getting in on the act š
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 26, 2021
There was a fair amount of disgruntled people in the 16,500 crowd, the biggest in rugby in Europe ā and in sport at all in Scotland – since the pandemic began. These were actually minor issues, however.
The actually meaningful and important stuff was happening 6000 miles away in South Africa, where three of the Springbok squad tested positive after PCR tests for Covid-19, despite the fact that the squad has been reported to be fully vaccinated.
š« The Boks cancelled Sundayās training session in Johannesburg as a precautionary measure after scheduled testing returned three positive COVID-results
š More here: https://t.co/iMub3drpNv— Springboks (@Springboks) June 27, 2021
A third wave of the virus is sweeping through Gauteng province, where the Lions are supposed to play five of their eight games. The tour has already been truncated to just two sites ā the other is Cape Town ā and all games will be played behind closed doors. The Boks, who were due to play Georgia on Friday, have suspended training indefinitely.
Thereās talk of having to ārescueā the tour by playing all eight games in Cape Town. A more considered appraisal might now question whether the tour should take place at all.
Money grabbing leaves a bad taste
The contracts signed by sponsors and broadcasters appear to be the only thing keeping the momentum going. They matter, a bit, but how much?
You got a fair idea of the financial stakes involved in the Lions in this game, and it left a slightly bad taste. Fans talked of paying Ā£150 a ticket, various facilities at the stadium ā power and wifi ā didnāt seem able to cope.
There were queues for hours at the bars pre-game and then they were closed before half-time. The two explanations doing the rounds were that theyād run out of beer or that the police closed them because fans were leaving their seats against instructions.
A stadium that normally caters for 67,000 canāt deliver a match day experience for 16,500!! What a joke! Shame for fans paying huge amount and for staff having to deal with disgruntled fans. @lionsofficial #LionsRugby
— Andy Nicol (@AndyNic9) June 26, 2021
Turns out, according to an SRU statement, both were partly true. Stocks were low due to āunprecedented demandā (from a quarter-full stadium) but they also wanted to avoid crowding and ensure social-distancing.
One of the Murrayfield video boards went down for much of the game. The blotting out of any trace of the stadiumās usual sponsor seemed a little excessive. It was definitely excessive to cover up the āIf In Doubt, Sit Them Outā billboard aimed at concussion awareness.
Real shame that @lionsofficial at @BTMurrayfield could find no space for @scotgov Concussion Logo today.
Understand no revenue from it ššÆ
When actually itās the biggest investment they could make in Player Welfare and the protection of the next generation of players.#SHAME pic.twitter.com/bujrb52RKN
— Ben Robinson (@peterrobinson86) June 26, 2021
The bars and food outlets were all closed early. But it was perfectly okay for the Lions merchandise stands to be operating after the game.
Jones’ early departure kills the atmosphere
There was a rugby game played, but it wasnāt really up to that much. The atmosphere was loud and lusty for the teamsā emergence and the pre-match stuff, but it rapidly diminished.
Captain Jones was helped to the sideline with a dislocated shoulder after just seven minutes.
The joint popped back in, but four weeks was āthe best case scenarioā according to Warren Gatland. As the head coach pointed out after leaving out Jonny Sexton from the original squad, players who canāt play a full part in the whole tour will not tour.
After a gruelling season, the Lions were great for half an hour and then ran out of steam.
Japan had flashes of their World Cup elan. But they seemed very much like a team who hadnāt played a test for two years, which they are. The Lions eventually played like a team that had just recently been introduced to each other, which they are.
Positives? Biggar, the centres, Conan and big Duhan
Our new š¦ 's captain, in his own words š¤
Hear from three-time tourist Conor Murray as he reacts to becoming the 2021 Lions Tour captain as well as pays tribute to Alun Wyn Jones.#LionsRugby
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 27, 2021
Pointers from it? South Africaās defence, if they actually see it, will not be nearly as accommodating up the 10-12 channel as Japanās.
Dan Biggar was a much deserved man of the match and pleasingly so. On his last appearance at Murrayfield in February his being replaced after less than an hour probably turned the game. Heāll be hard to shift from the test shirt given this, his recent form and Gatlandās faith in him.
Conor Murray was given the tour captaincy in the aftermath of Jonesā injury ā ahead of national captains and tourists Owen Farrell and Stuart Hogg –Ā but he didnāt have great afternoon. Jack Conan looked the best of the forwards. Duhan van der Merwe scored maybe the easiest of his many tries at Murrayfield.
Thatās nine in 11 tests for the wing, if the Lions board decide this match was worth a test designation. It could yet be the only one played this summer, so they should be of a mind to do it.