Rugby-Scrambling preparations leave Springboks vulnerable to Lion attack

FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Stormers v British and Irish Lions - Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa - July 17, 2021 British and Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland wearing a face mask before the match REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South Africa will have to dust off the cobwebs and put aside disrupted preparations if they are to underline their status as world champions in Saturday’s first test against the British & Irish Lions but the last chaotic weeks leave them vulnerable.

At the same time, the Lions’ own potential faces a far tougher examination than that of the first five games of their tour, as the test at the Cape Town Stadium promises to be a major step up in physicality and intensity.