Let's Draw A Line Under This Extra Time Debate

WHAT’S wrong with a draw? Especially one that is as honourable as that played out between the Lions and New Zealand in the third Test at Eden Park last Saturday, which tied up the series after it finished 15-15 on the scoreboard.

- Nick Cain

The hype-mongers may not like draws, because all they want is a black and white outcome, a heroes and villains pantomime. The idea that a draw is somehow weird is also mirrored by one of the biggest cliches in sport, and the one most frequently trotted out by coaches who are paid on results. Namely, that a draw is “like kissing your sister”.

Thankfully, great sport is not always about getting the outcome you want. It is about the drama of evenly matched combatants moving might and main to win – and sometimes in the maelstrom of the contest the compelling action we witness is laced with half-truths and even downright contradictions.

On some occasions, when everything has been left out there by the combatants, the honours are even – and rightly so – because neither can overthrow the other in the mighty battle of wills.

That was the case in Auckland last weekend when the Lions refused to leave New Zealand as losers, and the All Blacks could not find a way to win.

In the aftermath it emerged that the idea of having a tiebreaker in the event of a draw was dismissed during the tour negotiations.