Jamie Roberts and Brian O’Driscoll were a princely centre-partnership in 2009. The pair dovetailed superbly in South Africa and made a life-long bond as Lions.
For O’Driscoll it was a third of four tours, the latter victorious trip to Australia where he and Roberts were involved in one of the most controversial selection decisions in Lions history.
Now with all that dust long settled and the 2021 Lions on the verge of an epic series win, the Irish legend joined his old mate for a chat, with Sportsmail’s Will Kelleher listening in.
Jamie Roberts (left) caught up with old mate Brian O'Driscoll (right) to discuss the Lions
Warren Gatland's side can claim an epic series win with another victory on Saturday
JAMIE ROBERTS: Great to see you Brian, how are you?
BRIAN O'DRISCOLL: I was meant to be in South Africa, so making the most of the bad situation!
JR: It would’ve been unbelievable! What do you think of the team Warren has picked mate?
BOD: I thought he’d go with Chris Harris, as they’ve worked out they don’t need to play expansively to win – the Lions will go back-to-basics, get over the advantage line and play it simple.
JR: Between Lukhanyo Am and Elliot Daly they passed the ball once last week! Madness. Why has Chris Harris come in for Elliot Daly – from your perspective as a No 13?
BOD: I really feel for Daly. The game got away from him quickly; he gave away a couple of penalties – that happened to me in the second Test in Australia in 2013, giving away two at the ruck in the first 15 minutes, and there’s nothing worse, as that’s part of my game and you’ve got to leave the ball as you can’t give away any more.
All of a sudden you think ‘it’s a quarter of the game in and I’ve already cost us six points’. Sometimes the game just doesn’t go for you, you chase it and it gets even worse. It did feel like the writing was on the wall. Harris has done nothing wrong on tour.
Chris Harris (L) has been called into the starting XV to match up with Damian de Allende (R)
JR: What strengths does he bring?
BOD: He’s a very good defender and reads the game well. Even he can get smoked by Cheslin Kolbe though, as he did in the A game! He’s a better distributor to previously I’ve given him credit for.
JR: And a better carrier.
BOD: He’s a big lump – 6ft 2in. I think the Lions want to match fire with fire. Damian de Allende is very much like Robbie Henshaw, and Am is Harris.
JR: Will South Africa come to play?
BOD: They have to get the ball to Cheslin Kolbe. It’s unfathomable he’s a box-kick chaser. The one time he got the ball he charged into Dan Biggar! Give him a fighting chance!
The problem with South Africa is if you play that style it’s fine when you win, but when you lose you get hammered for it. Their hand may be forced. I hope de Allende passes!
JR: They’re going to have to take risks.
BOD: South Africa are going to come out so angry!
JR: A strength or weakness?
BOD: A strength. They’ll be better for another 80 minutes, but there is something amazing about playing scared – with the thought of losing a series 2-0 at home. There might be excuses of not having the preparation the Lions have had…
JR: …No one cares about that in 10 years’ time!
BOD: Exactly, history will show a 2-0 victory in the first two Tests if they don’t win. That’s inconceivable. It went down so badly in 1997, it’ll be ferocious this week.
JR: Which is why they were so motivated in 2009. What are your memories of that tour? One of the best?
BOD: The most enjoyable. We had a great team spirit and it’s a great country to tour. Kicking off at 4pm or 5pm had a huge baring on our togetherness, as you were able to go out, have dinner, a beer together after.
In Australia and New Zealand you’re not back to the hotel until 11.30pm and then are to bed as you have to train the next day. That makes a difference when tying bonds together.
The Irishman believes the Springboks will be driven by the fear of losing and come out fighting
We played good rugby, had some real ding-dong battles. It was my third one, and I’d been captain in 2005 so didn’t have that pressure. With Ireland we’d just won the Grand Slam and Leinster the European Cup so confidence was high. I look back with real fondness – strange as the two Tests I played in we lost both. It was old-school attritional rugby.
JR: The last of the old tours before professionalism took another leap.
BOD: We were pros, but it was a different level four years on – even with the advent of social media. It did feel the last old-school one, with some really good nights out.
JR: You could relax on a night out! In the third Test week we moved to the Sandton Hotel in Johannesburg, and I remember the air hostesses would all arrive en-masse at 7pm. Low and behold the lads congregated at the bar at 7.30pm, every night!
BOD: You have a great memory for all that! You and I struck up a nice partnership early on, and it became apparent we’d play in the Tests 10 days out. We had a great team and felt we’d be competitive. That was the disappointment of the first Test – we got blown away in the first 20 minutes.
JR: That’s where this tour the South Africa A game will prove to be the most important. It showed the level. Can you remember the 2009 second Test in Pretoria?
BOD: I do. I watched it in its entirety for the first time three weeks ago. It was strange, but immediately lots came back; how much they tried to push us around, how confrontational they were. It was gladiatorial. There would have been plenty of yellow cards now!
JR: 10! That coincides with the off-field stuff – an end of an era game.
BOD: For concussion too. I wasn’t right when I made a second tackle on Danie Rossouw. Gethin Jenkins broke his cheek-bone, and I tackled Bryan Habana with him and definitely wasn’t right. I carried on, took another shot and wasn’t thinking clearly. I tried to catch the biggest man on the field off guard.
JR: It’s a red-card that Rossouw hit, now!
Roberts and O'Driscoll were a princely centre-partnership in the 2009 tour of South Africa
BOD: I stayed on and made a terrible
