The phony war is almost over and on Saturday morning the Lions will play Australia in the first of the three tests. Yes, yes, yes, I hear all the stuff about the difficulties of bringing together players from four nations. Blah, blah, blah. Here's the truth - the Lions should win the series 3-0. I completely concede the sporting excellence of the Australian nation but the fact is that rugby union is in a fallow rut in Aus just at the moment.
I won't bore you with an anlysis of the latest tour games - each rather tedious for a variety of reasons. What I will excoriate is the complete lack of romanticism in the attitude of the Lions' management. Owen Farrell is parachuted into the squad. Leinster's third choice tight-head prop likewise. The shirt is devalued. Read John Reason's books on the 1971 and 1974 tours if you want to know how magnificent things used to be. It is a sporting civilisation gone with the wind. Oh well.
And incidentally the most pertinent international rugby of last weekend was played in Argentina where England (shorn of a whole team by the Lions) won a titanic clash with Los Pumas. Maybe, just maybe, Steve Borthwick is getting to grips with this international coaching malarkey.
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