[imagesource: SA Rugby]

June 24, 2021.

That means it’s been a full 25 years since Joel Stransky kicked that drop goal, securing our first Rugby World Cup title.

It also means that today is day 600 of 1 449 as reigning world champions. Roughly one day for every time I’ve watched Cheslin Kolbe step his way to rugby immortality.

The Springboks remain unbeaten since that triumph in Yokohama, although we have yet to take to the field.

You can try and call our Boks cowards, or undeserving, but Rassie Erasmus will find you and put you in your place.

On Saturday, the British & Irish Lions play Japan in a warm-up match in Edinburgh. They fly to South Africa the following day, and the tour starts with a game against the Emirates Lions on July 3.

The first of the three test matches kicks off on July 24, and South African fans are chomping at the bit to see our team in action.

Please don’t let this tour turn into an IPL-like fiasco when COVID-19 cut the tournament short amidst a surge of cases and deaths in India.

Via The Daily Maverick’s Craig Ray, the players won’t be seeing much of what South Africa has to offer:

The tourists, and the Springboks, will be imprisoned in separate five-star luxury hotels. But make no mistake, it is a form of captivity. For the next six weeks, players and staff from both teams won’t be able to venture out of the strictly controlled biosecure “red zone” even though they have all been vaccinated.

A breach of the biosecure environment could bring the entire tour to an abrupt halt, which will cost both the Lions and SA Rugby (Saru) hundreds of millions in broadcast revenue.

The tour is expected to bring in roughly R500 million for SARU, so a cancellation would be financially devastating.

According to Professor Francois Venter, the Springbok squad, as well as staff, have been vaccinated, although this hasn’t been publicised much because skipping the queue ahead of the elderly and those with comorbidities isn’t a great look.

You can read the rest of Ray’s report here.

We turn our attention now to onfield action, and how the touring team may try and beat the Boks.

Expert analyst with a twist, Squidge Rugby, has done a deep dive into the British & Irish Lions’ attacking options, which will need to be on form to break down our much-vaunted defence.

Who can forget that intense spell of ‘you shall not pass’ tackling against England in the final?

Squidge, who you may recognise from Chasing the Sun, doesn’t do things in half measures, so clear half an hour and get comfy:

[sources:dailymaverick&squidgerugby]