Almost on cue, the Lions lost their first real test last Wednesday when faced with a strong South African A team.
A step-up in physicality and speed seemed to take the Lions by surprise as the South Africans rushed to a 17-3 lead and yet it was the Lions, who had played four warm-up matches against a team just coming out of isolation, and should have been prepared for what was the biggest match of the tour so far.
The Boks management took the opportunity to field a number of potential Test players in a match that gave them their first chance of ‘testing' players against the tourists in a match that didn't count.
Unfortunately, the early games appear to have given some of the Lions players a false sense of the level of rugby they were likely to face when playing against a South African team.
The ease with which the A players took the game from the Lions, even when reduced to 13 on the pitch must have been a wake-up call not just for the Lions players, but the management team as well.
Warren Gatland may have to rethink his strategy although I am pretty sure he wouldn't have been fooled by the early results and the ease with which they were achieved.
The Lions have a tough week ahead of them as they prepare for the first Test and even though they have the advantage of having played a number of games, they now know where they have to be if they want to win the series.
Speaking of tough, the number of injuries incurred during England training are not a sign of the intensity of effort, it's a sign that the coaches are, dare I say, unprofessional in how they plan and execute those sessions.
The idea that you have to raise the intensity and physicality of training to levels above those found in a game is ridiculous and actually impossible.
Training by definition is a period where you practise plays and elements of your game to improve you team's co-ordination and game plan to the level where it becomes almost instinctive.
This is usually done by repeating the exercises and plays over and over under the watchful eye of the coach who, if any situation becomes dangerous, stops play and starts again.
Even opposed sessions have controls with players directed continually throughout the game with the ‘cannon fodder' ( those not selected for the team ) actually more liable to be injured because they have players running full tilt at them which is why they usually wear, or carry, padding.
Training may have changed a bit since I played but as we were at the front of the move to a professionalgame, we were also the first to experience ‘athletic' training.
Real fitness training came in after the introduction of the first World Cup when experts from other sports were brought in to improve the overall level of fitness first at international level and then at club.
Coaching and fitness are two parallel elements of the game and although fitness has come on in leaps and bounds, coaching is still the same with some variations imported from other sports and specialist areas.
In fact, training should be less confrontational with the addition of ‘specialist' coaches breaking up the session to focus on the various elements of the game with their part of the team.
Scrum sessions when I played were very intense with a mix of power training against a machine and improving technique in live scrums against the A team at international level and the second team at the club.
“The Lions have been working hard on their scrum as was evident during the A game”
Playing against the players who want to take your place in the top team can be a bit spicy and occasionally it degenerated into some ‘handbag waving' but a quick intervention by our coach stopped things getting out of hand.
Interestingly, most of the injuries I remember happened against an unforgiving scrum machine, particularly the hydraulic variation.
Standard scrum machines are great for improving the timing and unity of a pack because you are in control against a static machine that usually responds to your drive by moving backwards with few if any consequences for poor technique.
However, the hydraulic machine pushes back with a force equal to or more than you would face from a live scrum. They also cannot adjust angles and so always push straight which, if you get it wrong, can end up causing injuries.
Yes, accidents happen and injuries are caused in coaching sessions but if the number becomes unacceptable then the coaching team should be looking for reasons, not excuses.
As a prop I know the scrum is the most important aspect of the game (I would say that!) and winning the scrum means you are more likely to win the game.
The Lions have obviously been working hard on their scrum as was evident during the A game last Wednesday but just as Warren is said to be holding back some of his ‘aces' for the Test, so too will Rassie Erasmus.
It will be interesting as we watch the series unfold as to who will win this game of chess and I personally can't wait for the first Test.
