The best fortnight of the year

Wimbledon 2009 started today, without the reigning Men's Singles champion and World No.1 Rafa Nadal. Roger Federer must have done very well to conceal the broadest of grins when he heard the news of his great adversary's absence from the All England Club on Friday evening.

Federer vs Nadal is the greatest rivalry in modern sport. Singles tennis is an almost unparalleled medium for the sporting duel. Sport has always been written about in terms of battle, and in sport, as in the military arena, the one-on-one duel is the ultimate contest. But in golf, you play the course; in darts, you play the board. In singles tennis, you play your opponent. Every stroke one hits is returned with added bite by the other, as punches traded. Every point ends in one player winning and one losing.

Federer vs Nadal is the greatest sporting spectacle of the twenty-first century. Rivalry, as is often the case, has pushed the Swiss and the Spaniard to even greater levels of excellence. Their final at Wimbledon last year was the best sporting contest I've ever seen. Nadal shot into a two-set lead with an incredible display of baseline hitting. Then the rain came down, adding to the drama further, before Federer summoned up all the mental strength he had to claim the third-set tiebreak. It got even better in the fourth-set 'breaker, consistently scintillating levels of tennis encapsulated by the two bravest, most brilliant, passing shots I've seen. If you can't remember them, take a look here. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7494114.stm At 7-7, Nadal somehow reaches a Federer approach shot to fire a forehand down the line past the Swiss' despairing lunge. At 8-7, Federer hits one of those one-handed backhands that only Federer can hit, outside the tramline as the ball flies past Rafa at the net to drop within inches of the baseline, one of numerous winners the defending champion hit when Championship point down. The hands raised and fists pumped you can see from the crowd don't appear to be any display of partisanship, but rather spontaneous acclamations of the brilliance they're witnessing. Darkness had long began to descend when Federer netted a forehand to give Nadal a 9-7 5th set victory at 9.15pm. This was their apotheosis.

And we wonder if it will ever be as good again. Nadal, who has only just turned 23, has had strapping on his knees for years, the physical nature of his game, which puts enormous pressure on his joints, causing many to question whether he can play on beyond 25. He is a Terry Butcher kind of a tennis player - when he retires from a match, or pulls out of a tournament, let alone Wimbledon, he's not 'a little bit sore', he's really hurt. Federer, meanwhile, is approaching his 28th birthday, in a sport where playing long past 30 is rare. His best days are behind him.

Lessons from the enthralling rivalry between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, with whom Federer and Nadal share strong parallels, are also ominous. Borg was the elegant and unflappable champion, McEnroe the brash young pretender who eventually usurped his adversary at the top of the men's game. Like Nadal, McEnroe had to complete his apprenticeship at Wimbledon before he won it, losing an epic five-set final in 1980, before ending Borg's quest for his sixth straight title the following year. Borg was of course back at Wimbledon last year to see Nadal thwart Federer as he aimed for six in a row. Like their twenty-first century successors, Borg and McEnroe's careers didn't peak at quite the same time. Borg was only three years older but, after being defeated by McEnroe in the 1981 US Open final, he, for want of a better term, lost it and retired from the game, aged 26. Although McEnroe enjoyed a fierce rivalry with Jimmy Connors in the 1980s, it never reached the same level as his encounters with Borg.

The foolish began to write that Federer's defeat a year ago was the beginning of the end for the Swiss. He bounced back to win the US Open two months later. But pictures of Federer in floods of tears after Nadal, by then the World No.1, beat him at the Australian Open this January painted thousands of words. Federer was a broken man. He bore the look of a man who knew that whatever he came up with, the relentless Nadal would always have an answer.

Both Federer and Nadal have been rightly heralded for their sporting behaviour on and off the court. (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/matthew_syed/article6465803.ece) But behind that ice cool demeanour, make no mistake, Roger hates Rafa. He must do. It is natural to hate a man who has taken what was yours, as Nadal did with Wimbledon and the World No.1 crown. There must be a certain anger that comes with the divine elegance of one's strokeplay being beaten by the brutish clubbing of an opponent. Nadal will never match Federer in terms of natural brilliance on a court, and yet, a seemingly superior competitor, more consistent and better mentally, he leads the Swiss 13-6 head-to-head. Most fundamentally, these guys live to win, and the opponent you just can't beat must make your blood boil. Watching Roger cry at the Australian Open was embarassing enough to watch: Federer must hate to be reminded of it. But I think watching Nadal walk out onto the Centre Court as the reigning champion on the first Monday of Wimbledon would have made him feel even worse. The greatest relief on Friday night, when he heard the news, might just have been that Roger was able to open the tournament, as he has done now for six years in a row, this lunchtime. Adorned in his latest fashion statement of course.

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The other man who has most to gain from Rafa Nadal's withdrawal from this year's Championships is British No.1, World No.3, Andy Murray. The young Scot has matured in front of our eyes in recent years, from petulant teenager to level-headed contender. He looks infinitely more capable of dealing with the inevitable pressure from the British public than Tim Henman ever did. Had they both got through, he would have been scheduled to play Rafa Nadal, who taught him a lesson in the quarter-finals 12 months ago, in the semi-final. Without him, the route to a final with Federer (chickens very hastily counted) - a rematch of last year's US Open decider - looks clear. Murray's accelerated away from Novak Djokovic at World No.3 in 2009, but, with Nadal absent, must make the most of his opportunity to join the very top table, and push on from being the third wheel in the date everyone wants to see.

South Africa 26 Lions 21

A brave second-half fightback was not enough for the British & Irish Lions in the first test against South Africa. Trailing 19-7 at the break, and falling further behind from Heinrich Brussow's try early in the second half, the tourists hit back when Tom Croft crossed for his second score on Lions debut, and Mike Phillips' try forced a nervy last five minutes. The World Champion Springboks held on though, to leave the Lions with it all to do with two tests at altitude to come.

The home side dominated the scrummage from the off in Durban, Phil Vickery enduring a torrid afternoon at the hands of 'the beast' Tendai Mtawarira. Referee Bryce Lawrence continued to penalise the England prop, Ruan Pienaar and Frans Steyn kicking four first-half penalties. Tries at the beginning of each half from captain John Smit and Brussow, who excelled for the Cheetahs against the Lions earlier in the tour, pushed South Africa seemingly out of sight. The Springboks rang the changes and lost momentum however, the tide turning in the Lions' direction in the final twenty minutes. Centre pairing Jamie Roberts and Brian O'Driscoll combined impressively for both of Tom Croft's tries, his second on 68 minutes sparking a rousing late comeback. When Mike Phillips then scored from close range, there was just five points in it with five minutes to play. But the Lions couldn't force a final try, the Springboks clearing to seal victory in the first of a three-test series, although the tourists will travel to Pretoria for next Saturday's game buoyed by their second-half display.

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For 60 minutes, the Lions offered no more than a whimper, unable to get anyway near the 15 men facing them in terms of intensity, set-piece technique and, seemingly, preparation. Press surmisings of an 'undercooked' Springboks side were made to look ridiculous, Frans Steyn extending their lead to 13-0 as the clock ticked past the twenty minute mark. Set pieces were a nightmare. Victor Matfield didn't come close to showing why he's heralded as the best line-out forward in the business: he didn't have to. Lee Mears' throwing wasn't good enough, and there was not enough variety in the skipper's line-out calls, Tom Croft noticeably underused. A struggle at the line-out was on the cards though; a battering in the scrummage was not. I called on the referee to allow the scrum to be contested and reward the team on top, and he duly obliged. But it was Phil Vickery who Bryce Lawrence repeatedly punished, the Lions veteran put out of his misery four minutes after half-time following a Tendai Mtawarira-inflicted beating. His replacement Adam Jones was far more at home, putting his hand up for a second-test start.

It should be an all-Welsh front row: Gethin Jenkins remains untouchable, Jones to face up against 'the beast', and Matthew Rees, who busily burrowed and threw-in well once he replaced Mears. When the Lions consolidated the scrum a bit more, Jamie Heaslip looked pretty comfortable picking the ball up at the back. Fourie du Preez is a genius of a scrum half going forwards, but doesn't put great pressure on his opposing 9 and 8 at scrum-time. If the Lions can at least secure their own ball at scrum-down next Saturday, the Irish No.8 can feed the dangerous darting runs of Mike Phillips. But the idea of the scrum as an attacking opportunity felt a hell of a long way off this afternoon. The Springboks exerted pressure and secured possession - but scrum-time was more damaging than that. 12 points from first-half penalties - and it could have been more - were fatal.

It was good to see Paul O'Connell in the referee's ear towards the end of the half, but the damage had already been done. It would be wrong to focus on the referee's performance. Front-row merchants would argue that Mtawarira out-thought as well as out-muscled Vickery. But, especially in games as high-profile as the Lions against the World Champions, can it be a charming quirk of the modern game of rugby union that officials either side of the equator see the contact area so very differently? The Lions can be optimistic knowing that Frenchman Christophe Berdos will be in charge on Saturday.

The tourists' kicking game was not up to scratch either - including from man of the tour-contender Lee Byrne, who found the Springbok wingers' hands nearly every time. Ruan Pienaar, by contrast, expertly sent his opponents, and his pacemen, scampering after numerous well-placed kicks from hand. That said, we saw a lot of very good things from the Lions' backs today. Attack coach Rob Howley will be the happiest of the backroom staff, having seen a real cutting edge from Jamie Roberts and Brian O'Driscoll in particular. The tourists scored three good tries, and will be regretting three more near-misses this evening. When the ball was on the pitch, in play, the Lions were comfortably the better side - not just in the final twenty minutes, but throughout. Support-play was great at times, the red shirts more than competing at the breakdown, where they were expected to struggle. The Springboks are smart though - they will continue to break the game up at every opportunity on the next two Saturdays, and exploit a supremacy at the set piece that was almost professional vs amateur at times.

Ian McGeechan and co. will have to work out what changed for the last twenty minutes, allowing the Lions to fight their way back in to contention, and indeed not a long way from an unlikely victory. As well as Adam Jones suring up the scrum, the comeback coincided with the replacement of David Wallace with Martyn Williams at flanker. The wily Welshman may well be wearing 7 next week. The worrying reality for McGeechan is that it was only after the Springboks removed their main men, their 'test match animals', that the Lions were finally able to roar.

15+7

It's a funny old idea, the British & Irish Lions tour. Sporting series, seasons, careers even are naturally directed towards climactic matches, points, moments that come to define everything that went before them; define teams and players as winners or losers - but very few in such a direct, deliberate, cut-throat fashion as a Lions campaign.

Six games played, their fundamental purpose being to allow Ian McGeechan and his team to decide who are the best (fit) players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to pull on the red jersey, when it really matters against South Africa. To get 37 down to 15+7. There's been a lot of productive training in between times, but you learn the most about players when they're out on the pitch. Competition for places is always good in any team, but this is a different dynamic altogther - every member of the squad playing for those test spots. McGeechan and co. have done well in ensuring that atmosphere of competition within the squad, revolting against the 2005 Woodward tour, when the effects of drawing a firm line between midweek and test sides were most damagingly manifested. All we've wanted to know for weeks, though, is who's in and who's out. The Springboks gave us their line-up on Tuesday, including Cheetahs flanker Heinrich Brussow and, perhaps, a snif of place-kicking weakness. The Lions 22 for the first test was finally unveiled this lunchtime, the inclusion of the more physical David Wallace over dynamic playmaker Martyn Williams most newsworthy. 12 out of the 15 starters - including Lee Mears who became the only option at hooker after Jerry Flannery was ruled out - were those I would have picked back in April. The form of Tom Croft, not even included in the original tour party, has meant the Leicester man has stolen in on the blindside, Jamie Roberts stood up in the warm-up games to claim the No.12 jersey, whilstUgo Monye has gone forwards as Shane Williams has gone backwards on the left wing in recent weeks.

Six games won, not that that will count for anything unless it goes the tourists' way during just 240 minutes of action on the next three Saturdays. It could only take a minute and a half for all of the optimism to disappear - as in Christchurch four years ago, when Tama Umaga and Keven Mealamu cynically ended Brian O'Driscoll's tour. All the talk of floundering at the breakdown, whether O'Driscoll's past it and captain O'Connell should even be in the side will be stopped in its tracks, or intensified inexorably further, depending on whether we (as it's quickly become natural to call 'us', the Lions of 2009) sink or swim on Saturday. The first twenty minutes in Durban will be an enormous step up from what's come before. The huge 'I just scored against the Lions and I'm never going to forget it' grin sported by Mpho Mbiyozo after his late consolation try on Tuesday tells one story - of plucky provincial sides who have made up the numbers. Nearly every other minute of Western Province's 8-20 defeat, as large chunks of the tour, told a different one - of the Lions being severely tested, and, most importantly, learning important lessons of themselves before the three tests. The tourists' professionalism and, encouragingly, incisiveness of backs such as Tommy Bowe, got them through. Lions tour proper, though: that started today.


The Lions have been going forwards at scrum-time all tour, not least in Tuesday's victory in Port Elizabeth. Welsh referee Nigel Owens rewarded the tourists for their dominance with a, somewhat dubious, penalty try, and showed a commitment to keeping scrums competitive by awarding a penalty when the Lions turned the screw again as late as the 77th minute. Many officials would have let the struggling Kings forwards off that late in a game. So much will depend upon the referee's interpretation as the front fives come together in the three tests. I'm sure the Lions backroom team would love to have Owens back to officiate, but it'll be Kiwi Bryce Lawrence in control on Saturday afternoon. Their selections suggest a lack of confidence in Lawrence allowing the Lions to exploit the scrum, where they will expect to have the upper hand, with Springbok captain John Smit only recently moved to prop, a particular target. The Lions' strongest scrummager, Andrew Sheridan, has not even made the matchday 22, whilst lanky Alun Wyn Jones, no match for the brawn of rivals Nathan Hines and Simon Shaw, has been preferred in the second row. The Springboks are afraid - assistant coach Dick Muir upping the ante by questioning the legality of the tourists' scrum. Let's just hope the officials let the scrum play a part in the series.


Ian McGeechan and Keith Earls reminds me of Sven-Göran Eriksson and Theo Walcott. Walcott, then 17, was included in the England football coach's squad for the 2006 World Cup, but never made it onto the pitch. He was said to benefit from 'the experience', and current England boss Fabio Capello has reaped the rewards, most notably with the winger's hat-trick in Croatia. Although not quite as shocking, McGeechan's inclusion of fellow Irishman Earls in the Lions party raised plenty of eyebrows. The 21 year old had only played twice for his country, and went on to endure a torrid opening to his Lions experience, spilling the ball repeatedly early on in the narrow win over the Royal XV. Sven and Theo didn't have the luxury of warm-up games as Ian and Keith have had, and, in his subsequent appearances, Earls has grown into the Lions shirt, scoring a fantastic try against the Cheetahs and impressing on Tuesday against the Southern Kings. He started at fullback - where he played on his debut for Ireland - and did everything asked of him in defence, as well as making some slicing breaks from deep, when perhaps a lack of experience and naivety in his final pass stopped him from laying on tries. He's showed himself a raw but special talent. McGeechan's bravery might just be Declan Kidney's gain, Earls taking his place amongst a glittering array of Irish wide backs for future years. A potential matchwinner for the Lions in Australia, 2013? Why not? Just the small matter of the World Champs to deal with first... BRING ON SATURDAY!!

British & Irish Lions 26 Western Province 23

Five out of five. That can hardly be bad news for the Lions, a week away from the first test. With the final warm-up game against the Southern Kings on Tuesday just four days before the Springboks in Durban, today was the last chance for all starting line-up pretenders to stand up and shine. Ian McGeechan told them to make his decisions difficult ones.

Andy Powell and Joe Worsley heard him, in the first half at least. Powell did what his does best - smash whatever's infront of him. He got through a lot of yards, repeatedly getting over the gain line, and it was his barnstorming run on the left which knocked the hosts' defence out of shape for Bowe's try on the opposite side of the pitch. Worsley also stood up, taking the ball into contact by running straight, tackling and rucking with verve. His clever little tug on the defender's shirt to allow Tommy Bowe to break through for Monye's try - expertly brought to our attention by Sky Sports' coverage - was reminiscent of the little bits and pieces of gamesmanship which the All Blacks continued to get away with - to my disgust - four years ago. It will depend upon whether the Lions management keep it conservative or slightly more expansive (with Tom Croft) whether Worsley gets the test No.6 spot.

Another man holding his breath for that decision will be Martyn Williams, competing with David Wallace for the openside nod. He was highly influential in the loose today - reminiscent of his Grand Slam 2005 pomp. But Williams comes up short when it comes to the basics of the back row. There was one instance when he almost balked at the prospect of involvement in another ruck, the ball taken in and lost by the Lions due to a lack of support. I had images of Richie McCaw - thankfully not to be faced this time round - and Schalk Burger - thankfully it seems out of at least the first test - powering the Western Province intruder backwards and rucking over, as Williams tamely, meekly leant a bit of a push to the breakdown. He's going to get massacred by the Boks back row if he gets the chance to do that again next Saturday.

Another man who would suffer from the sheer physicality of the World Champions' game is Ronan O'Gara. Through almost no fault of his own, he's never had a chance of landing the fly-half spot, because he's small, uncomfortable in contact, liable to being easily hounded. Stephen Jones then. Jones must have listened to Ian McGeechan too, not realising that he wasn't talking to him. McGeechan didn't want a difficult decision over his No.10; Jones should have been nailed on. All he needed to do today was say 'yes, boss, I'm your man, steady old Stephen.' But he shanked a couple of kicks out-of-hand, missed a couple off the deck and, more worryingly, utterly failed to stamp his authority on the game. I'll make his excuses for him now: the opposition were strong and resilient, the wind strong and unpredictable, and he had his Mike Phillips - the head-and-shoulders choice for the test No.9 jersey - taken away from him.

You want to build your team around your fly-half, who dictates to his backs where his game is going, and whose kicking shuttles his forwards around the pitch, from line-out to line-out. Dan Carter controls games on his own some days, completely untouchable. The closest we've seen up here in the Northern Hemisphere in recent years is Danny Cipriani - in his early, untouchable days, before he became England's prime scapegoat. I'm not saying I want Cipriani lining up next weekend but...

Especially in the high altitude matches, a potent kicking game will be imperative for Lions success; the fly-half the most important man in a red jersey. Lee Byrne's massive boot will help him out from full back, and Rob Kearney's left peg could yet displace Ugo Monye on the wing. Jones' place kicking wasn't too bad today, as inadequate as a fly-half must feel when someone else kicks over the winning points. But his lack of control in the loose was a little bit frightening. Neil Jenkins has been drafted in as kicking coach for the remainder of the tour. He's got a week to sort his fellow Welshman out.

If in doubt... whack it

It wasn't that long ago that Lleyton Hewitt was World No.1. Crazy. No offence intended, but the little Australian's game was all about getting the ball back in, scampering around the court making his opponent play one more shot. It feels like a million years ago. The progression of men's tennis to a bigger, stronger game, where serves are faster and points shorter has been an inexorable one. Racquet technology, greater physicality amongst the players and even a quickening of the courts has had its influence, but a change in mentality might have been a bigger factor.

I think we may have seen another big leap in that direction this week at Roland Garros. Robin Soderling played the game of his life to beat Rafa Nadal, the World No.1 and a man who had never been beaten at the French (who didn't play badly), by hitting 59 unforced errors. His 61 winners were worth it though. I'm watching Belarussian nineteen-year-old Victoria Azarenka push the women's No.1 Dinara Safina to the limit in the third set of their quarter final. Azarenka stormed through the first set 6-1 (Safina had only lost 5 games in her 4 matches before today!) by going for her shots. When you hit clean winners, there's nothing your opponent can do about it. And this is on clay, where getting the ball back has long been the secret. Not any more.