Teichmann: Lions must raise their game
Former South Africa captain Gary Teichmann has warned the British and Irish Lions will have to improve by at least 30% if they are to level the Test series on Saturday.
Teichmann knows from his experiences with the Springboks in 1997 what pressure the Lions are under as they head into the second Test trailing the series 1-0.
The Lions struggled to contend with the Springboks’ scrummaging and mauling power as they fell 26-7 down within 50 minutes last weekend before staging a late comeback.
“I think the Springboks will be a good 30% better this weekend,” he said.
“The Lions have got to be competitive in their scrums but my biggest concern for them is defending the rolling maul. That will be a key area.
“The altitude means the ball travels a lot further so you will be looking to create more opportunities to drive from the lineout.
“They will also have to be clinical when they get their opportunities. I don’t think the Lions will get the same number of try-scoring opportunities as last week.”
