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Serfontein, Hougaard return for Bulls

The Bulls will be buoyed by the return from injury of scrumhalf Francois Hougaard and centre Jan Serfontein for their crucial Super Rugby semi-final against the Brumbies at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Serfontein replaces Francois Venter in the midfield and Hougaard’s inclusion comes at the expense of Jano Vermaak, who will supply cover from the bench.

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke said on Wednesday that accuracy would be decisive against a Brumbies side desperate to make the final.

“We would like to be accurate from the first minute to the last, and turnovers in a semi-final will be vital,” Ludeke said.

“We are playing against very good opposition and that is why they finished third in the competition [after the league phase] and they have a lot of strengths all-round.”

The team will be further boosted by the inclusion of lock Paul Willemse, who takes the place of Jacques du Plessis on the bench.

While the Brumbies narrowly won 23-20 in the previous encounter between the two teams in Canberra in March, the Bulls’ semi-final history at Loftus counts heavily in their favour.

The Pretoria side have never lost a Super Rugby last-four clash on home turf and they should use the support from the Loftus faithful to their benefit.

Ludeke, however, said they could not rely solely on the home fans and they would have to be accurate in executing their game plan.

“It is about getting in the right areas and setting up a good platform to launch a good attack, and it is all about being patient because we believe we’ve got the ability to score tries and to squeeze points when we are in the right area,” he said.

The Bulls mentor believed the Brumbies played a similar style of rugby to the men in blue, which would make for an intense battle.

“They play a lot like us — it is field position, a suffocate type of game.

“They are very good on defence, with a solid pack of forwards, and in broken field they have players that can finish off.

“The set pieces will be vital and you have to control the broken field, and we will have to use the opportunities when we get there.”

Meanwhile, Brumbies coach Jake White named an unchanged team for the match.

Though his side faced an uphill battle against the Bulls, White said his charges were up for the challenge.

“The Bulls present us with a huge challenge this weekend. We know they will play through their forwards and use Morne [Steyn] to finish with points,” White said.

“They have a good record here at Loftus and for our players to experience running on in front of a full house of more than 50,000 people will be fantastic.

“They are a typical South African side — very big and physical with some quality finishers out wide — so it’s up to our players to combat that with our own game.”

Bulls team: Zane Kirchner, Akona Ndungane, JJ Engelbrecht, Jan Serfontein, Bjorn Basson, Morne Steyn, Francois Hougaard, Dewald Potgieter (captain), Jacques Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Grant Hattingh, Flip van der Merwe, Werner Kruger, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Dean Greyling. Replacements: Callie Visagie, Frik Kirsten, Morne Mellett, Paul Willemse, Jono Ross, Jano Vermaak, Jurgen Visser.

Brumbies team: Jesse Mogg, Henry Speight, Tevita Kuridrani, Christian Lealiifano, Clyde Rathbone, Matt Toomua, Nic White, Ben Mowen (captain), George Smith, Peter Kimlin, Sam Carter, Scott Fardy, Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, Scott Sio. Replacements: Siliva Siliva, Ruan Smith, Fotu Auelua, Colby Faingaa, Ian Prior, Andrew Smith, Joe Tomane. – sapa

Darron Nell to lead Kings against Lions in crucial match

Experienced lock Darron Nell will captain the Southern Kings in the first of the two-leg Super Rugby promotion-relegation matches against the Lions in Port Elizabeth on Friday.

“Darron has done a tremendous job for us over the years in a leadership role,” Kings director of rugby Alan Solomons said on Tuesday.

“Whenever he has captained a side he has done so successfully, and after giving the matter careful consideration we feel he is the best man to lead the side in this big game.”

Nell stepped into the leadership role after centre Andries Strauss broke his left hand in training on Friday and was ruled out of the double-header against the Lions.

Strauss assumed the captaincy earlier in the season when first-choice captain Luke Watson was sidelined through injury.

Former Sharks lock Steven Sykes, who has also captained the Kings this season, was named on the bench for Friday’s clash.

The second leg of the promotion-relegation matches will be played in Johannesburg on August 2.

Promising young centre Shane Gates stepped up to replace Strauss and will partner vice-captain Ronnie Cooke in the midfield.

New Zealander Hadleigh Parkes, who missed much of the season with a broken arm, will slot in at wing.

“He (Cooke) has, throughout the season, had a very influential role and has played nearly every single game for us, and we are very fortunate to have someone of that ilk taking leadership of the backs,” Solomons said.

Solomons said there was a fair amount of consistency in the team that had been selected, with many pairings having played together during the season.

The pack remained relatively unchanged, with Schalk Ferreira, Bandise Maku and Kevin Buys forming the front row, while the loose trio of Wimpie van der Walt, Jacques Engelbrecht and Cornell du Preez would be looking to make a significant impact.

“This match is critical to both franchises, because the consequences of these matches are extremely serious,” Solomons said.

“The winners of these two matches remains in Super Rugby and the side that loses is out of Super Rugby.”

Southern Kings team: SP Marais, Marcello Sampson, Shane Gates, Ronnie Cooke (captain), Hadleigh Parkes, Demetri Catrakilis, Shaun Venter, Schalk Ferreira, Bandise Maku, Kevin Buys, Cornell du Preez, Darron Nell, David Bulbring, Wimpie van der Walt, Jacques Engelbrecht.

Replacements: Hannes Franklin, Charl du Plessis, Steven Sykes, Devin Oosthuizen, Nicolas Vergallo, Waylon Murray, George Whitehead. – Sapa

Unlucky kick dashes Cheetah hopes in dying moments

Cheetahs five-eighth Riaan Smit hit the post with a conversion attempt after the siren to give the Brumbies a 15-13 win in their Super Rugby qualifying final in Canberra.

While the Cheetahs scored the only two tries of the match, the Brumbies dominated the kicking duel and were amply rewarded with prime territory throughout the game.

The Brumbies had the lion’s share of the possession in the first half, yet the Cheetahs’ trademark scrambling defence proved up to the task.

A hotly contested breakdown battle also stilted momentum for both teams, referee Glenn Jackson warning both captains to clean up their sides’ acts midway through the second half.

The Cheetahs were seven points down when replacement Ryno Benjamin crossed in the left corner in the final minute to give Smit a chance to send the game into extra time.

But the kick hit the left post and the Brumbies escaped with the narrow victory to book a semi-final against the Bulls in Pretoria early next Sunday morning (AEST).

While the home side arguably had the rub of the green on scrum penalty decisions from Jackson in the first half, Brumbies loose-head prop Scott Sio was clearly dominant in the second half.

Man-of-the-match George Smith was also outstanding for the Brumbies, his presence at the breakdown a constant thorn in the side of the Cheetahs.

The Brumbies were rewarded for a blitzing start with an early penalty goal, but the Cheetahs hit back in the 16th minute when their first attacking set-piece yielded a try to outside centre Johann Sadie.

Sharp-shooting goal-kicker Christian Lealiifano then uncharacteristically missed two penalty shots before finding his range again to give the Brumbies a 6-5 lead at the break.

The Cheetahs drew first blood after the break with a penalty goal to Smit, but the Brumbies hit back with three of their own to gain the seven-point lead which would eventually help them hold on for victory. – AP

Super 15 rugby: Brumbies 15 Cheetahs 13

Johann Sadie, one of the try scorers for the Cheetahs

Result of a Super 15 rugby qualifier between the ACT Brumbies and Central Cheetahs on Sunday:
ACT Brumbies (AUS) 15 Central Cheetahs (RSA) 13
Ht: 6-5
Scorers
Brumbies – Penalties: Christian Lealiifano (4), Nic White
Cheetahs – Tries: Johann Sadie, Rayno Benjamin; Penalties: Riaan Smit
Referee: Glen Jackson (NZL) – AFP

Pieter-Steph du Toit stays a Shark

Lock Pieter-Steph du Toit has ended weeks of speculation over his future by signing a new two-year deal at the Sharks, the Durban union announced on Friday.

Reports were rife over the past month, suggesting the out-of-contract 20-year-old was being targeted by some of the other major unions.

Du Toit, a member of the Junior Springbok team which won the Under-20 World Cup last year, is highly rated by national coach Heyneke Meyer and was in line for his senior national debut during in June before he was withdrawn due to injury.

“We are delighted to have secured the signature of a player of the calibre of Pieter-Steph,” said Sharks commercial manager Rudolf Straeuli.

“We not only identified him, but he has also been developed through the Sharks Academy and has a bright future ahead of him.”

New Sharks chief executive John Smit said he was thrilled the promising youngster would remain in Durban.

“Pieter-Steph has shown great promise and he has had a positive impact on the team, since joining the senior set-up,” Smit said.

Du Toit missed the back end of his team’s disappointing Super Rugby campaign with a sternum injury.

“As a 20-year-old rugby player, I am living my dream and I am extremely privileged to be identified by the Sharks as a player who can play a role in the province going forward,” Du Toit said.

“I will continue to learn from the many experienced players in our team and I hope that I can make the contribution required and expected of me.

“I will work as hard as I can and always do my best for the Sharks.” – Sapa

Crusaders beat Reds 38-9 in Super 15 quarterfinal

Dan Carter leading the Crusaders to victory

Flyhalf Dan Carter scored a try among 20 points as the Crusaders beat the Queensland Reds 38-9 in the Super 15 quarterfinals Saturday to edge closer to their first Super Rugby title in since 2008.

Carter scored the second of four tries by the Christchurch-based Crusaders and kicked three conversions and three penalties – six goals from eight attempts – to reward his team’s physical domination of the Reds, who were champions two years ago.

The Crusaders will play either the Hamilton-based Chiefs or Pretoria-based Bulls in next weekend’s semifinals depending on the outcome of Sunday’s match between the ACT Brumbies and Bloemfontein-base Cheetahs.

If the third-ranked Brumbies beat the sixth-ranked Cheetahs, the Crusaders will play the defending champion Chiefs but if the Cheetahs win they will travel to South Africa to play the two-time champion Bulls.

The Crusaders will face either of those assignments with confidence after Saturday’s comprehensive win. From the start they physically overpowered the Reds in every area.

Ryan Crotty scored first in the 10th minute, running off a pass from Carter who took the ball to the gain-line from a five-meter scrum.

Carter scored his own try in the 30th minute after an outstanding lone break by Sam Whitelock, carried on with quick passes by Israel Dagg and Zac Guildford.

Winger Tom Marshall scored in the 51st minute after Crockett had split open the Reds defense and linked with Todd, who provided the last pass to the try-scorer. The Reds were almost cowed when Reid and Carter combined in the buildup to Crotty’s second try 15 minutes from fulltime.

The Crusaders dominated the contact area with powerful tackles, with physical force and with technique which brought them seven breakdown turnovers. They were able to advance beyond the gain-line at every venture, brushing aside Queensland’s ineffective interior defense. When they did so, creating even partial breaks, there were players in ready support and all Crusaders – backs and forwards – had the level of skill to keep the ball alive and offload in tackles.

Backrowers George Whitelock, Kieran Read and Matt Todd easily thrust their way through tackles then picked out supporting players with well-timed passes. But even tight forwards such as prop Wyatt Crockett and lock Sam Whitelock – the latter one of the most energetic players on the field – had the ability to brush past the shoulders of Queensland tacklers, to extend their arms and feed the ball to teammates in space.

Carter ran vigorously into contact and either passed or established quick and accurate phase play. There was a stark comparison in the record of his opposite number, out of favor Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper, who was so reluctant to take the ball into contact he wasn’t once tackled in the first half, nor did he make a tackle one-on-one.

“That was pretty pleasing,” Crusaders captain Read said. “I guess it’s good to hit your straps at this time of year. … It was a great start from our guys which set the tone pretty early and it continued on from there.

“I think in finals games defense is where your character shows and probably where it’s won. Certainly, we stepped up there from last week and I guess the conditions probably helped,” he added. “We were able to play a bit of free-flowing footy which is nice as well.”

The only Queenslanders to make a significant impact were scrumhalf Will Genia, who placed himself defensively in the backfield to take Crusaders’ kicks and who was steady in that effort.

Lock James Horwill returned to the Reds’ lineup, along with Genia, after leading the Wallabies in their three-test series against the British and Irish Lions. He had an unusually subdued game, hovering mostly in midfield, and was substituted after only 60 minutes.

In contrast, All Blacks captain Richie McCaw took the field as a replacement in the 65th minute to end an eight match “sabbatical” absence from top-line rugby. He carried the ball over the advantage line with his first touch, helping to set up the Crusaders’ final try and the second of the night to center Crotty.

The Crusaders will now attempt to end a title drought which goes back to 2008 when they won their seventh championship: following those they achieved in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2006. They remain unbeaten in playoffs matches on their home ground in Christchurch where the Reds haven’t won any game since 1998.

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Crusaders 38 (Ryan Crotty 2, Dan Carter, Tom Marshall tries; Dan Carter 3 conversions, 3 penalties; Tom Taylor penalty), Reds 9 (Quade Cooper 2 penalties). HT: 21-6. – AP

Smith, Rathbone to face Cheetahs

Wallabies George Smith and Clyde Rathbone will return to the ACT Brumbies starting team for this weekend’s Super Rugby qualifier against South Africa’s Central Cheetahs, the club said Friday.

The players are making an unlikely finals appearance in Canberra on Sunday after Rathbone came out of retirement this year and Smith was loaned by his Japanese club Suntory Sungoliath.

Making way for winger Rathbone is Joe Tomane, who played for the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions this month, while Colby Faingaa also goes to the bench with flanker Smith taking the number seven jersey.

Scrum-half Nic White also returns to the starting side for the first time since injuring his shoulder with Ian Prior returning to the bench.

“Bringing two guys like Clyde and George into our starting side will give us experience when we need it. Those two guys have both won championships at Canberra Stadium and it’s exciting to have them involved,” coach Jake White said.

“The Cheetahs are a side which has made huge improvements over the last two seasons and it’s a credit to them that they are now a competition threat.”

It will be the Brumbies first finals match since they won the Super Rugby title in 2004. – AFP

Cheetahs outsiders in Super rugby playoffs

The Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs will celebrate their best season in Super Rugby on Saturday by gate-crashing a playoff party for former champions.

The Cheetahs – who have qualified for the playoffs for the first time -are the only one of the six remaining teams which has never won a Super Rugby title. Their quarterfinal opponents, the ACT Brumbies, have two; the Canterbury Crusaders, who host the other quarterfinal, have seven and their opponents, the Queensland Reds have one.

Two teams received a bye to the semifinal stage: the Hamilton-based Chiefs will defend their only Super Rugby crown and the Pretoria-based Bulls will attempt to win their third title and their first since 2010.

The Cheetahs are unused to being among such illustrious company.

Their best-ever finish was seventh in 1997, after which they left the tournament for nine years. Since rejoining the competition in 2006, they have never finished higher than 10th.

But this season, under former Springboks hooker Naka Drotske, they have perfected one of the most expansive gameplans in the competition, winning 10 of 16 regular-season games and showing an ability – vital to South African teams – of winning in Australia and New Zealand.

They won at the Dunedin-based Highlanders, the New South Wales Waratahs and the Western Force, losing only to the Chiefs on their overseas games.

“We have a confident atmosphere in the team and we know if we play well, we can beat any team on the day,” Drotske said.

“The last two tours – where we have won in Australia – have done our confidence the world of good. And we prefer to play the Brumbies. They are also new to the playoffs and their current group of players hasn’t played in this round of the competition yet, so it is a new thing to them as well.”

The Cheetahs were underestimated by many opponents, and hope to exploit the same advantage on Sunday when the Brumbies, champions of the Australian conference, might take them too lightly.

“We play better as a team when we are underdogs as there is absolutely no pressure on us,” Drotske said.

The Brumbies have been the top team in Australia this season but the confidence of many players may have been dented by being part of an Australia team that was beaten by the British and Irish Lions, while the ACT was also beaten last week in Perth.

Brumbies coach Jake White says veteran flanker George Smith will definitely be among his starting lineup for the match, though Smith had a tough time in the third Lions

test after suffering an early head knock.

The Crusaders have named All Blacks captain Richie McCaw on the bench and international lock Luke Romano in their starting lineup for Saturday’s match at Christchurch.

McCaw expected to miss all of the Super Rugby season during an eight months “sabbatical” which began after New Zealand’s loss to England at Twickenham in December. He was due to return for the All Blacks’ first Rugby Championships match against Australia on Aug. 17 but has answered the Crusaders’ call for late-season reinforcement.

The Crusaders are attempting to win an eighth Super Rugby title. This will be their 12th-straight appearance in the playoffs but the players are not yet jaded.

“You have got to treat it as an honor, not a burden,” scrumhalf Andy Ellis said. “As soon as you think ‘we have been here so many times, we should win it, we should win it’ it just creates anxiety.”

Queensland has named Wallabies James Horwill and Will Genia in their starting lineup, though they have lost center Anthony Faingaa, winger Rod Davies and utility Mike Harris from a backline which has changed in four places after last week’s narrow win over New South Wales.

“There is always going to be some damage at this time of the year and while it’s disappointing to be without a few guys, we are getting the experience of James and Will back,” coach Ewen McKenzie said. “Their influence can’t be understated and you need world-class players and strong leaders if you are going to win these games on the big stage.” – AP

Rugby sevens team to play for bronze

The South African sevens rugby will compete for the bronze medal in the rugby sevens tournament at the World Student Games after going down in a narrow 17-14 defeat to hosts Russia in the semifinals, in Kazan, on Tuesday.

Clearance Khumalo dotted down to give the South Africans the early lead, but Russia hit back to take a 12-7 advantage into the interval.

And while Khumalo scored again in the second half — both his tries were converted by Stefan de Villiers — the host nation managed to bag a surprise win.

Earlier, in the quarterfinals, the SA men, who had gone unbeaten in the group stages, charged into a 21-7 half-time lead and held off some resistance from Belgium for a 26-12 victory.

South Africa will face Great Britain, who were defeated 33-12 by France in their semifinal, in the bronze medal match on Wednesday, the final day of the Games.

Meanwhile, Alistair Davis finished fifth with a score of 25 from 10 shots in the men’s double trap shooting semifinals, narrowly missing out on a place in the bronze medal contest.

Earlier on Tuesday, the 20-year-old Olympian had been fourth best of the first-round qualifiers, progressing to the penultimate round.

In the pool, the SA 4x100m medley relay quartet — Richard Ellis, Nico Meyer, Leith Shankland and Giulio Zorzi — finished seventh in the final in 3:42:22. Russia secured the gold medal in 3:34.27. – Sapa

Peyper to referee Super rugby playoff

South African referee Jaco Peyper will be in charge of the first Vodacom Super Rugby qualifier between the Crusaders and the Reds in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Saturday.

This was confirmed by the SA, New Zealand and Australian Rugby (Sanzar) body on Tuesday.

The second qualifier, scheduled for Sunday morning in Canberra, Australia, between the Brumbies and the Cheetahs, would be refereed by New Zealand’s Glen Jackson.

Sanzar also confirmed that the first semi-final of the southern hemisphere franchise competition would be hosted at Loftus Versfeld, in Pretoria, when the Bulls take on the highest placed qualifier at 5.05pm on July 27.

The second semi-final, between the Chiefs and the other qualifier, would take place at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, New Zealand, at 9.35am (SA time) on the same day.

Referee appointments for the semi-finals would be confirmed early next week. – Sapa

Stormers hungry for consolation win

Turning out in their final game of the 2013 Super Rugby season may seem like a formality, but departing winger Bryan Habana says the Stormers will play their hearts out against the title-chasing Bulls at Newlands on Saturday.

Habana, who leaves for big-spending French outfit Toulon at the end of the campaign, did not believe the Bulls’ log aspirations would weigh heavily on the Cape players’ minds.

“This Saturday is not about trying to spoil the Bulls’ party,” Habana said.

“It is about the (Stormers) players getting some pride back for the supporters.

“There is a lot of pride at stake for the Stormers and for me personally. I feel disappointed that I haven’t contributed enough to see us get into the playoff stages.”

The late kick-off slot means the Stormers, in seventh place and out of the running for the playoffs, could have a say in the final outcome of the log, with the Bulls eager to remain in top spot overall after the last game of the regular season.

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke knew his charges had a mountain to climb at Newlands.

“We are up against an opponent we know. It is always very physical and there are no easy metres to be gained,” Ludeke said. – Sapa

Lions team to face Griquas in friendly rugby match

Lions head coach Johan Ackermann named his side to face the Griquas at Ellis Park this Saturday. Kick-off is at 15h00.

The friendly match was being used by the Lions as part of their preparations for a two-leg Super Rugby promotion/relegation playoff against the Southern Kings. The matches take place on July 26 in Port Elizabeth and August 2 in Johannesburg.

Lions: Ruan Combrinck, Deon van Rensburg, Stokkies Hanekom, Dylan des Fountain, Anthony Volmink, Marnitz Boshoff, Guy Cronje, Lambert Groenewald, Derick Minnie, Warwick Tecklenburg, JJ Breet, Hendrik Roodt, Julian Redelinghuys, Francois du Toit, JC Janse van Rensburg (captain).

Replacements: Mark Pretorius, Jacques van Rooyen, Ruan Dreyer, Hugo Kloppers/Gavin Annandale, Willie Britz, Ross Cronje/Viaan van der Watt, Lionel Cronje, Chrysander Botha, Deon Helberg.

Jean de Villiers returns for match against Blue Bulls

Jean de Villiers in the Springbok jersey

Springbok captain Jean de Villiers has recovered from his sternum injury and will lead the Stormers against the Bulls in Saturday’s Super Rugby clash at Newlands.

De Villiers, who missed the Stormers’ last two wins — over the Cheetahs and the Southern Kings — returns to the starting line-up in one of five changes ahead of Saturday’s meeting with the newly-crowned SA Conference winners.

To make room for the captain, Damian de Allende drops to the bench, while Gio Aplon shifts from wing to fullback(in place of the injured Joe Pietersen.

Gerhard van den Heever comes onto the right-wing, Gary van Aswegen will start at flyhalf and Rynhardt Elstadt returns at number seven.

“Jean de Villiers is the captain and the incumbent No.12 so the plan was always to bring him straight back if he was fit,” said coach Allister Coetzee on Wednesday.

“With Gio at fullback being a left-footer, bringing in Gary at flyhalf gives us the important option of having the combination of a left- and right-footed kicker in our backline.”

Don Armand and Elton Jantjies join De Allende on the bench while Springbok prop Pat Cilliers is named among the replacements once again.

Record-breaking wing Bryan Habana will be playing in his final match for the Stormers, which will be his 57th appearance for the franchise, having scored 18 tries in the process.

“It’s massively important for us to win this weekend. We’ve only lost to the Crusaders at home this year and we lost to the Bulls at Newlands in 2011,” said Coetzee.

“We’d like to finish on a high and carry that momentum into the next competition.”

Stormers team: Gio Aplon, Gerhard van den Heever, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers (captain), Bryan Habana, Gary van Aswegen, Louis Schreuder, Nizaam Carr, Rynhardt Elstadt, Deon Fourie (vice-captain), De Kock Steenkamp, Eben Etzebeth, Brok Harris, Scarra Ntubeni, Steven Kitshoff.

Replacements: Martin Bezuidenhout, Pat Cilliers, Gerbrandt Grobler, Don Armand, Nic Groom, Elton Jantjies, Damian de Allende. – Sapa

British & Irish Lions end a 16-year drought

After making the selection call that could have divided the British and Irish Lions along national lines, Warren Gatland’s coaching career was in the balance. The doomsdayers were even hinting at the future of the combined ‘home nations’ tour concept hinging on the outcome of third test in Sydney.

They started with a bang, literally, in the first scrum and opened the scoring within two minutes, setting the tone for a record 41-16 win over Australia in Saturday’s series-deciding match that ended a 16-year drought for the Lions.

Gatland was the target of vitriolic criticism for three days after dropping Irish center Brian O’Driscoll, the most loyal servant of the Lions in the modern era. The coach was ultimately vindicated as he delivered the combined team from Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England its first series triumph since 1997.

Gatland has had great success since taking over the Wales national team in 1997. And despite being a New Zealander, he was the obvious choice to coach the British and Irish Lions on a 10-match tour that opened in Hong Kong last month and included nine matches in Australia. It was his ability to stand back and look at the overall picture that undoubtedly helped the Lions.

But even after the victory in Sydney, he was still reeling from the torrent of criticism he’d copped.

“I was absolutely shocked at the vitriolic terms of the criticism,” Gatland said. “I haven’t enjoyed the last 72 hours, it’s been tough personally.

“Maybe in a week or two I might get some pleasure out of tonight. But at the moment there hasn’t been a lot of pleasure out of feeling vindicated at the amount of criticism directed at me personally.”

Having said that, he later told a British tabloid that he’d “jump at the opportunity” to take charge of the Lions on their next tour in 2017 – to New Zealand.

“It would be a massive honor and extra special to take them to my home country,” Gatland was quoted as saying by the Mail on Sunday.

New Zealand’s 2011 World Cup-winning coach Graham Henry was in charge of the Lions when they lost the 2001 series in Australia 2-1, after opening that series with an emphatic win. England’s 2003 World Cup-winning coach Clive Woodward was in charge for the 3-0 drubbing in New Zealand in ’05. Gatland was an assistant coach in 2009 when the Lions lost the series 2-1 in South Africa.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in the last two tours – 2009 was about restoring some real pride into that Lions jersey and felt we did that in South Africa,” Gatland told a news conference late Saturday night. “This wasn’t about that. This was delivering. This was winning the series. And we’ve achieved that. The pleasing thing for everyone, we saw how special Lions tours can be.”

He’s already plotting the next tour – or at least offering his advice to anyone who succeeds him.

“Going forward, you need to make sure that the amount of interest it creates, the amount of hype, the amount of money it generates, you’ve got to do the Lions tour properly,” he said. “You’ve got to have the right preparation time. When the Lions negotiate a series it’s got to be done properly.”

Gatland said he was frustrated at the start of the tour with the limited preparation time for his squad, and that was compounded by easy wins in Hong Kong against the Barbarians and the Western Force in Perth in the first two matches.

The Lions tour attracted an accumulated crowd of 389,400 at nine matches in Australia, including records for each of the test venues in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney – finishing off with the 83,702 people cramming into the Olympic stadium which was reconfigured after the 2000 Games. An estimated 40,000 traveling British and Irish Lions fans swelled the population of expats already living in Australia, and made the downtown areas of test cities a sea of red jerseys on match day.

O’Driscoll was delighted in the end, capping off his fourth Lions tour with his first series victory. He played in the first two tests – winning the first 23-21 in Brisbane and losing the second 16-15 in Melbourne -but Gatland benched him for the third, the first time O’Driscoll had been dropped in his 133-test career. But after the match, the 34-year-old Irishman was delighted to hold the Tom Richards Cup high above his head and do a circuit of the pitch for the Lions fans. – AP

“This is fantastic for rugby going forward,” Gatland said. “It’s great for the Lions, and it creates an interest and excitement for the future for the Lions tours.”