It took less than 60 seconds for chaos to erupt in the second Test of the 2009 British & Irish Lions tour.
South Africa’s enforcer Schalk Burger introduced himself by allegedly gouging Irish winger Luke Fitzgerald’s eyes. And somehow — in front of a touch judge — he stayed on the field.
Instead of seeing red, Burger got just a yellow for one of the most dangerous acts on a rugby field. The incident has gone down as possibly one of the worst refereeing decisions in Lions tour history — a moment that flipped the tone of the entire series.
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powered by ISUZU. ? Shaun of the Dead (Rubber)
Edwards fumes after 'soft call' in brutal Test
Lions defence coach Shaun Edwards wasn’t having it. In his Guardian column, he torched touch judge Bryce Lawrence for bottling a call that, in his eyes, could’ve changed the game — and maybe the series.
"When Bryce Lawrence saw Schalk Burger's fingers in Luke Fitzgerald's eyes, he should have recommended something stronger than 'at least a yellow card'," Edwards wrote.
"In the heat of a Test match with fans bellowing, if Lawrence meant red, he should have said red."
Translation: if you saw the crime, don’t half-blow the whistle.
? Citing Club: Burger & Botha Banned
One for gouging, one for smashing
The disciplinary hearing in Pretoria made up for what the officials missed. Burger received an eight-week ban for the gouge, ruling him out of the third Test and the opening Tri-Nations games.
Meanwhile, Bakkies Botha got two weeks for an illegal ruck charge that left Adam Jones with a dislocated shoulder. The Lions’ front row was disintegrating — and so was their shot at the series.
Schalk Burger reflectss:
Reflecting on the incident now, Burger says: “In all seriousness, you know, I mean… stupid. You get things wrong.
“And, again, if you look back now it’s an over-hyped moment. Probably got a little bit too big. Because they made me laugh – where you’re going to enter the game and think, ‘Sh*t, I’m going to eye gouge someone’.
“You just over-step the mark through too much build-up, you want to make too big an impact, too soon. You know, these things happen.”
? Lions Roar Too Late
A gutsy win in the third — but the damage was done
In a gutsy fightback, the Lions took the final Test 28–9, but it was little more than pride on the line by then. The 2009 series had been sealed — and with it, the bitter taste of what could have been.
? 2009's Painful Lessons:
- A yellow for eye-gouging? Never again.
- Even Test officials can crack under pressure.
- Disciplinary bans don’t change results.
- And finally: history remembers the worst calls — this was one of them.
EDITORS PICKS:
“Woeful” – David Campese Slams FOUR Lions Stars Including Marcus Smith
The British and Irish Lions’ 28–24 defeat to Argentina in Dublin on Friday night has sent shockwaves through the rugby world — marking their first opening tour loss since 1971.
Make no mistake, this wasn’t just any warm-up clash. The Pumas came to play, and they delivered a brutal wake-up call to Andy Farrell’s side just one week out from their first hit-out on Australian soil.
While Farrell was quick to give credit to the South Americans, Wallabies legend David Campese didn’t hold back. In a brutally honest assessment, Campese ripped into FOUR Lions players, slamming their performances as “woeful,” “dismal,” and “simply not good enough” for Lions level.
Here’s who felt the full force of Campo’s wrath in his
column for PlanerRugby.
1. Duhan van der Merwe – “Dismal display under the ball”
Campese was particularly scathing about van der Merwe’s failure to compete in the air, despite his physical stature:
“I simply can’t understand how Duhan van der Merwe, a man of 6’5”, fails under the high ball in the way he does.”
He pointed out van der Merwe’s aerial struggles as a key weakness that Argentina exploited:
“He’s bloody massive yet managed only one from five in the air in a dismal display under the ball.”
2. Tommy Freeman – “Turned over four times”
While Campese acknowledged Freeman’s work rate and attacking contributions, he didn’t hold back on his vulnerability at the contest and breakdown:
“Tommy Freeman worked hard — 15 carries and the most line breaks — but he was turned over four times — twice in the air and twice on the floor.”
This vulnerability, according to Campese, made it difficult for the Lions to build any continuity:
“That aerial battle — Rodrigo Isgro and Ignacio Mendy absolutely cleaned the Lions out at the contestibles.”
3. Marcus Smith – “Come on!”
Campese was perhaps most passionate in his argument that Smith should not be playing at full-back:
“Yes, in attack he was threatening and he played a part in two of the Lions’ tries, but, and it’s a big but, Australia is the land of the physical, athletic full-back and the spiral bomb.”
He strongly criticised Smith’s suitability for the defensive responsibilities of the 15 jersey:
“The Lions simply cannot afford the luxury of Smith’s defence at 15. He doesn’t understand the positional requirements and he’s simply too small and light to compete one to one.”
Campese’s conclusion was blunt:
“Yes, as an impact player or starting ten, he will do a great job, but as a starting full-back? Come on!”
4. Jac Morgan – “A woeful personal performance”
Morgan received arguably the most damning assessment from Campese, who questioned whether he was even present on the pitch:
“I had to check to be sure Jac Morgan was even playing, such was his lack of impact.”
He pointed to Morgan’s low tackle count and lack of involvement in key areas:
“When your openside spends 55 minutes on the pitch, makes four carries for six metres, and manages six tackles (one every nine minutes!) you wonder why he’s failing to execute the basic roles of his position.”
Campese concluded sharply:
“He also failed to control anything around the drop zone… and generally went missing in action in a woeful personal performance.”
