The Lions slipped to an agonising 19-16 defeat against South Africa in Cape Town to lose the series in a tense third Test.
For Warren Gatland and his tourists, it was a case of so near, yet so far.
Here’s what he had to say afterwards.
Can you just sum up how you’re feeling?
“I’m disappointed obviously but I’m really proud of the effort the boys put in today. We went out there to be positive and play some rugby. We missed one or two chances and they kind of get a lucky bounce and score a try against the run of play, and a couple of 50/50 calls probably didn’t go our way.
“But it was a proper Test match, it was tough and physical and that’s what you want with a Lions series. It’s not going to be easy travelling away from home to play the world champions and they were really tight contests. We’re disappointed but it could have gone any way. Congratulations to South Africa.”
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“It’s a bit of deja vu, isn’t it? The penalty count was against us 15-12 and at this level, it’s so, so important. Your aim is to keep your penalties under 10 in international rugby and if you can do that, it makes a significant difference.
“We had a penalty our way and then the high shot from Finn Russell goes the other way, sort of big moments. A 2-on-1 with Liam Williams and Josh Adams, he should have given the pass probably.
“You get one or two chances at this level and you’ve got to make the most of them because you’ve got to be clinical when they come around.”
What did you think of Finn Russell’s performance?
“He was good. We talked about moving the ball more and the ball went through his hands a lot which was good. We shortened them up on a few occasions when we went to fourth or fifth phase and that created some space for us.
“But he’ll be disappointed that he’s dropped a ball in the air that he would normally take and he was unlucky on the tackle. Probably a left-foot kick down the middle of the park wasn’t one of his best moments but he showed how quick he can get the ball through his hands and created some stuff.
“For someone who hasn’t played a lot of rugby, I thought he was excellent.”
Was this a fair reflection of series?
“When you’re playing against the world champions, you know it’s going to be really tight contests with the bounce of a ball or a call or something. We have been held up over the line and then we get penalised at a scrum which is a little bit unlucky when you’re five metres out from their line.
“So from that point of view, there were some key moments and it was always going to be the bounce of the ball and really tight contests. The boys gave it 100% and from a coaching point of view, you can’t ask for more than that.
“At half time, we spoke about starting really well after half time. We had a good first half and that was probably the most disappointing part of the game – that 10 minutes after half time where we just got pinned a little bit in our own half and it took us a while to start generating momentum.”
Alun Wyn Jones and Maro Itoje after the game
(Image: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan)
Will you look back on the series in frustration at the 100 tiny things you could have done 1% better?
“Yeah, possibly. That’s rugby for you. At the highest level, you get one or two chances and a mistake is really costly. The players have given everything but they will probably look back individually and go, “There was an error there” or they’ve given a penalty away, as a big moment in the game.
“That’s kind of what you are working towards at the highest level; to eliminate some of those sorts of things. But I can’t complain about our attitude or our approach.
“We tried to stress them as much as we could and we turned down a couple of three-point opportunities to go to the corner and try to build a bit of a lead. That then put them under a bit of pressure just to force them to potentially not keep going to the air and open up the game. That then gives you chances if the game does loosen up.”
How were your emotions late in game and how much has tour taken out of you as a head coach?
“No, it hasn’t taken anything out of me. It’s been a tough series, it’s been exciting and those sort of things are what you want to be involved in. At 16-all, I was thinking that it reminded me a bit of the World Cup semi-final. You are thinking you’ve got to stay in this and someone is going to get an opportunity at the end of the game. Unfortunately, we were the ones who were penalised and conceded three points.
“That’s when you’ve got to be very clear and potentially play a bit of territory and wait for a chance, because you are going to get a moment in those last few minutes when the game is so tight. And they were the team who got that.”
What can help the Lions succeed in future and would you like to be involved again?
“In terms of involvement, there’s a lot of water under the bridge in four years. A lot of things can happen in that time.
“I’ve loved my time with the Lions. I don’t think it’s anything different, it’s just about the Lions talking to the clubs and unions about having that adequate preparation time to go on a tour.
“You are playing away from home, normally with a lot of travel and with a lot of expectation. You are putting a team together in such a short period of time and there’s a lot of expectation to win a series.
“As the Lions, when you’re putting together the best players from the northern hemisphere, we get less preparation time than the national teams do when they go on their own tours.
“It’s a common theme. I’ve been continually saying it. Hopefully in the next six months they can iron that out and we can get the schedule for four years’ time tidied up in terms of when finals are on, so that you can get the whole squad together for a couple of weeks before you go on tour. That would make a lot of difference in terms of helping preparation.”
What’s next for you? Do you want to stay involved with the Lions?
“It’s something that I’ll reflect on. I’m incredibly proud of my involvement and I’ve been very, very fortunate. I’m very passionate about the Lions. I fly back to New Zealand tomorrow and start thinking about my role with the Chiefs.
“A long flight and then 14 days isolation in a hotel – that’s the least of what I’m looking forward to doing. It’s going to be tough having been in isolation already for the last eight weeks. So there’s another challenging couple of weeks ahead.
“And I think that time on my own will be a good chance to think what the next chapter of my life is going to be. I’m not someone who plans too far ahead, I’m a great believer in what will be will be.
“Other things will be on the horizon in the future, and other opportunities. What they will be I’m not sure. I haven’t got any long term plans, so it’s just a bit of wait and see.
“The thing about Lions tours is that they’re so intensive, not just for the players but for the staff and everything. Everyone needs a little bit of a break to refresh and to clear the minds and start thinking about what happens next.”
How did you rate Marcus Smith and Sam Simmonds on this tour?
“I just hope that they’ve learned a lot from this tour, not so much on playing but from the other players around them in terms of the top players in the squad, in terms of their professionalism, the way they train, the extras they do, their recovery. They will definitely have benefited from that.
“I think Marcus Smith is going to be superstar in the game. I think he’s incredibly talented. I think that if he was with one of the other four home nations, he’d definitely have been playing international rugby by now.
“Hopefully he gets that opportunity going forward because he’s definitely got an incredible amount of talent.
“There are some players who haven’t been involved but their experience from this will hold them in really good stead for their national teams, but if they do get picked in four years’ time for another Lions tour, that experience will be invaluable for them.
“A really good example there is that Robbie Henshaw was excellent tonight and he probably learnt from the experience four years ago and that brought him on and really improved him as a player. There will be a number of players here in the same boat.
“You have that mixture of really experienced players, players in the middle and some youngsters who will really grow from being part of the Lions.”
How important is the Lions to the game?
“If you talk to anyone, the players that are involved – either the Lions players or anyone from the Southern Hemisphere, there’s two events in the calendar that happen every four years; the Lions and the World Cup.
“Those are the two things that players want to be a part of, whether you’re selected for the Lions or for the Southern Hemisphere players.
“It holds a lot of players back in the Southern Hemisphere who may be looking at other opportunities, going overseas, they might re-sign for their national teams for a year or two to be a part of playing against the Lions.
“Normal tours generate a huge amount of financial reward to the Southern Hemisphere teams, but it’s special and it’s unique.
“It’s something we need to preserve on the calendar, a very important part of the cycle.
“We know the Rugby Championship, the Six Nations and they’re yearly – these things are bi-annual on a four-yearly cycle is extraordinary and incredibly unique and special.”
Should there be midweek games during the Tests moving forward?
“It’s a really good question and it’s something we’ve talked about and I don’t know the answer to this.
“In Test match week, you want to be able to have the full preparation time with that Test side.
“There’s been criticism in the past of us bringing in players to protect that Test team in preparation, but it is also hard on those players that are not involved in the Tests because they don’t even have rugby for potentially three or four weeks.
“Keeping them part of it, one of the things about the midweek games is it does keep them involved, playing rugby and that’s a positive.
“I don’t know the answer, maybe what Clive Woodward did in 2005 in terms of having two separate teams – is that the right model going forward? Then, do you miss all the stuff in terms of the bonding that goes on? Are you devaluing the jersey a little bit by having an ‘A’ and a ‘B’ team?
“I think it is a really good discussion to have in the coming years about what is the right format and how does it work.
“We’ve tried to bring in players in the past to bolster that team in the midweek game before the Test and having everyone still engaged and involved, we’ve also done it when we haven’t done that and that’s been quite challenging for the Test 23 because you’ve guys sitting on the bench on a Wednesday and then sitting on a bench for a match when normally that’d be a really tough training day in a normal Test week.
“I haven’t given you an answer, but it’s really worth debating that as something going forward.”
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