Southland v The Lions: The demonisation of the Lions has intensified. As the first Test looms, what began as the odd barb here and there has become a full-scale onslaught.
Virtually everything the Lions do or don't do, from rearranged community activities to their tactics and all manner of supposed illegalities on the field of play, has promoted a barrage of criticism. You'd half expect them to trot on to the Jade Stadium next Saturday in red capes and carrying pitchforks.
"Boring, uninspiring and dull," was the opening verdict of the Sunday Star Times on the Lions' win over Otago on Saturday under the headline "The Lions still sleep tonight."
Phil Gifford, a columnist with the same paper, described the tourists as a "one-trick pony", and wrote: "These Lions are so serious that whether it's a fullback, a wing, or a midfielder their first instinct was usually to put the boot to the ball," later adding that "the Lions' forwards seemed to regard a low tackle as anything below the jaw bone".
Following on from Marty Holah's assertion that the Lions were "a pain in the ass at the breakdown", the Otago captain and flanker Craig Newby observed live on television in the post-match interviews that "they cheated like buggery, mate, and they got away with it and good luck to them".
There seems to be a theme here alright.
The front page of the Sunday News simply carried a headline "Cheats", in reference to a back-page story carrying an interview with Joel Jutge, the Frenchman in charge of the first Test. Jutge never actually accuses the Lions of cheating but former All Blacks coach Lawrie Mains was quoted: "The Lions are cheats. They flop on the ball, making it impossible for New Zealand sides to clear the ball quickly."
All good fun of course, and all good from a Lions perspective. Asked if all of this meant they were on the right track, "midweek" coach Ian McGeechan laughed: "Absolutely. If they're now worried about what we're doing at the breakdown we must be doing something right."
Nor does any of the dismissive attitude toward the Lions and the utter, one-eyed conviction that the All Blacks will win the Test series 3-0, and that Clive Woodward is some kind of bungling idiot, do the All Blacks any favours. Ominously too, Woodward has looked more like his old self in the last week.
Ironically, and perhaps not coincidentally, he's had his best public relations week with the British and Irish media in the week Alastair Campbell has not been here.
He works better without prepared scripts and effectively confirmed he would become Southampton's new director of football on August 1st, without mentioning them by name or any date.
Unwaveringly assured that what he is doing is right, he keeps repeating that the team to play the first Test will be "the freshest, fittest, best-prepared team" in Lions history.
And he's starting to throw his own barbs in. The All Blacks have been "wrapped in cotton wool", have had just "one glorified training run" against Fiji. And, now, in the last 48 hours, he has repeatedly stressed that next Saturday's first Test will be "a huge pressure game", a clear attempt to question the All Blacks' bottle in big matches after defeats such as the last two World Cup semi-finals.
He's encouraging anyone with a mind to do so to grab a flight to New Zealand asap, "because I've just got a feeling something good's going to happen and you don't want to miss it."
And as that World Cup showed, we ignore Woodward's gut feelings at our peril.
Woodward emphasised that the 22 heading to Invercargill today for tomorrow's meeting still had plenty to play for aside from the jersey. There are more games to go and there are bound to be injuries and changes, so everyone has got to stay strong.
"Another lesson of Lions tours is that where they have been successful, it has been when the unity of the squad has been strong.
"If we win the Test series, it will not just be a win for the players out on the pitch, but for the whole squad. All 45 have all been fantastic in helping to create the environment we need to win."
These were sentiments echoed by McGeechan, who cited the tours of 1989 and 1997 as proof of his conviction that a winning environment in a Lions tour is established as much by those outside the Test 22 as those in it.
Of the Lions opponents tomorrow, McGeechan said: "Like every New Zealand side, they understand the game well. They challenge you to be better in the core areas of the game. We have to be technically good and play with our heads.
"We're getting better at that but we know that we'll be challenged in the core areas of gaining and keeping the ball."
In the southernmost venue of the South Island, it's long been forecast as the coldest match on the itinerary, but the weather has been relatively mild wherever the Lions have gone thus far.
Victorious against the Lions in 1950 and 1966, Southland struggled in last season's NPC, finishing ninth, and have six Super 12 players with the Highlanders under their new coach, the former All Black Simon Culhane, namely captain and loosehead Clarke Dermody, Hoani Macdonald, Hale T-Pole, Paul Miller, Jimmy Cowan and David Hall.
But they would seem to be lacking in firepower and like the other provincial sides, relatively undercooked, whereas the Lions - if any way true to the ultra-positive sounds coming out of their camp - now seem to be finding a bit of a groove whereby they weather the opening storms and pull through in the end.
SOUTHLAND: J Wilson; M Harrison, B Milne, F Muliaina, W Lotawa; R Apanui, J Cowan; C Dermody (capt), J Rutledge, A Dempsey; H Macdonald, D Quate; H Tamariki, H T-Pole, P Miller. Replacements: J Murch, D Hall, R Logan/R Hemi, J Wright, A Clarke, M Petre, P Te Whare.
THE LIONS: G Murphy (Leicester, Ireland); M Cueto (Sale, England), O Smith (Leicester, England), G Henson (Ospreys, Wales), D Hickie (Leinster, Ireland); R O'Gara (Munster, Ireland), G Cooper (Dragons, Wales); M Stevens (Bath, England), A Titterrell (Sale, England), J Hayes (Munster, Ireland); S Shaw (Wasps, England), D O'Callaghan (Munster, Ireland); L Moody (Leicester, England), M Williams (Cardiff, Wales), M Owen (Dragons, Wales, capt). Replacements: G Bulloch (Glasgow, Scotland), A Sheridan (Sale, England), S Easterby (Llanelli, Ireland), C Cusiter (Borders, Scotland), C Hodgson (Sale, England), T Shanklin (Blues, Wales), G D'Arcy (Leinster, Ireland).
Referee: Kelvin Deaker (New Zealand).
Previous meetings: (1908) Southland 8 Lions 14; (1930) Southland 3 Lions 9; (1950) Southland 11 Lions 0; (1959) Southland 6 Lions 11; (1966) Southland 14 Lions 8; (1971) Southland 3 Lions 25; (1977) Southland 12 Lions 20; (1983) Southland 3 Lions 41; (1993) Southland 16 Lions 34.
