Chance of a lifetime says Smit.SOUTH Africa South Africa, Afrikaans Suid-Afrika, officially Republic of South Africa, republic (2005 est. pop. 44,344,000), 471,442 sq mi (1,221,037 sq km), S Africa. captain John Smit John William Smit (born 3 April 1978 in Pietersburg, South Africa) is the 51st and current captain of the South African national rugby union team, the Springboks. He plays the position of hooker. leads the Springboks into the rarefied rar·e·fied also rar·i·fied adj. 1. Belonging to or reserved for a small select group; esoteric. 2. Elevated in character or style; lofty. rarefied Adjective 1. atmosphere of a Test series against the British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions (until 2001 known as the British Isles Rugby Union Team or more colloquially the British Lions with one fierce message to his men - it is now or never. Smit was among a number of leading Springboks to turn down lucrative European club contracts in order to chase the "once in a lifetime" dream of adding a Lions scalp to their 2007 World Cup triumph. South Africa have had to wait 12 years for another shot at the Lions following their 1997 Test series defeat when, world champions then as they are now, the Springboks were beaten 2-1. The image of Jeremy Guscott Jeremy Clayton Guscott (born 7 July 1965 in Bath) is a former rugby union outside centre who played for Bath, England and the British Lions. On rare occasions, he has also appeared for England on the wing. landing the series-winning drop goal is burned on the collective retina of South African rugby, a constant reminder to the Springboks of what is at stake when the first Test kicks off in Durban today. Boks' John Smit "The 2007 World Cup was phenomenal and a lot of the guys will have another crack or two at the World Cup, but we won't have another chance at the Lions," said Smit. "The team has been buzzing for the last two weeks because of the importance of what is coming. There is so much at stake and we won't have another chance. "The rarity of the occasion means the hype has been much bigger than any other Test match and that is saying something because there have been some huge matches over the last 12 years. "A Lions tour is unique, it is the last link with the old school. What makes this series so important is that it is part of more than 100 years of history. "Players who won the World Cup have stayed in South Africa to play against the Lions. What we have in the next couple of weeks will not come around again. "There is pressure on us, but not in a negative sense. It is wonderful to have pressure like this because it shows how meaningful this series is." South Africa deny they are under-prepared, having not played since November. Smit said: "The biggest fear is to go into a Saturday having wondered if you have covered every detail, but I believe we have had two very productive weeks. "We have obviously spoken about getting the intensity up. " |
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