BOKS OFFICE: World Cup Final or B&I Lions series?
WATCH as the hugely popular BOKS OFFICE joins forces with KickOffs&KickOns (KOKO) show for an incredible and entertaining episode.
Boks Office host Hanyani Shimange and Springbok legends Jean de Villiers and Schalk Burger are joined by KOKO host James ‘The Professor’ Rochford and Wallabies trio Drew Mitchell, Adam Ashley-Cooper and Matt Giteau.
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The episode kicks off with the Wallabies trio reminiscing on their favourite spots in South Africa and Springbok duo De Villiers and Burger reflecting on their touring days in Australia.
While the Rugby Championship opening round does get attention, the spotlight was firmly placed on the British and Irish Lions tour scheduled for next year in Australia.
Boks Office host Shimange posed a question to the group regarding the readiness of the Wallabies to host the British and Irish Lions next year.
Ashley-Cooper said he is confident Australia will be in good shape.
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“The fact that we have gone back to four Super Rugby franchises, we saw a lot more success with the provincials teams in relation to previous years
“A lot of teams have been boosted by the depletion of the Melbourne Rebels. So I’m confident that our Super Rugby teams will do better next year which will transfer performance and confidence to the national team for the B&I Lions series.
“We all believe in [Wallabies head coach] Joe Schmidt. He is a brilliant operator.
“I back him to put the guys in the best shape possible.”
He added: “The Rugby Championship will give us an indication and benchmark of what we need to do going into the next year.”
The crew delve into the magnitude of the British and Irish Lions series in comparison to a World Cup Final.
“Playing in a B&I Lions series is enormous,” Burger said.
“We won the World Cup in 2007 and then the Lions tour in 2009, so very similar to the World Cup in 2019 and then the Lions during Covid [with no spectators]
“It is such a big thing by the media and the biggest hype comes from the European media that comes down to South Africa.
“Like we had as many Lions supporters as we have Springboks.
“You know you have one shot as a player at it because it only comes around every 12 years, but with a World Cup you maybe if you’re lucky you can play a few.”
He added: “So you really want it to go your way.
“The intensity around those games is just next level.”
* This entire episode and much more are on RugbyPass TV. All you need to do is sign up for a free account on RugbyPass TV and watch the entire episode.
