British and Irish Lions vs South Africa LIVE: Result, final score and reaction from third Test in Cape Town
Follow all the fallout from the third Test in Cape Town
Morne Steyn stepped off the bench to break British and Irish Lions hearts for a second time by landing a late penalty to clinch a dramatic series victory for South Africa
Steyn hit the target with a minute left to snatch a 19-16 victory for the Springboks in an unbearably tense third and final Test at Cape Town Stadium. In a cruel twist of fate, the 37-year-old also sealed the fate of the 2009 Lions when he booted another late penalty that gave South Africa an unassailable 2-0 lead in a 28-25 win in the second Test.
Inspired by Finn Russell who had replaced the injured Dan Biggar, the Lions produced their best rugby of the series in a first-half they lit up with off-loads, tempo and ambition. The only concern was that Ken Owens’ 19th-minute try as part of a 10-6 interval lead was a disappointing return given the time spent in the opposition 22 and so it proved in a tense third quarter dominated by the Springboks.
Cheslin Kolbe struck with a brilliant finish to propel South Africa back in front and set-up a nerve-shredding climax to the series as Russell, Handre Pollard and then Steyn took over from the kicking tee. But trailing 16-13, the Lions rolled the dice by opting for touch instead of another three points and the gamble backfired when a scrum won after they had been held up over the line saw the Springboks win a penalty to relieve the pressure.
They did not make the same mistake twice, however, with Russell completing a long-range attempt to level the score with five minutes left, but there was still time for Steyn to strike.
Relive the deciding third Test in Cape Town:
PENALTY! SOUTH AFRICA 6-10 Lions (Handre Pollard penalty, 37 minutes)
And he does from about 12 metres inside the left touchline.
South Africa 3-10 Lions, 35 minutes
And Wyn Jones is penalised! It felt like that might be coming and the loosehead struggles under the pressure of a technically perfect Frans Malherbe, who I can imagine it is not particularly pleasant to scrummage against with a dodgy disc. Handre Pollard will try and narrow the Lions’ lead.
South Africa 3-10 Lions, 34 minutes
South Africa win a free kick and the resulting lineout and Handre Pollard purchases a ticket on Richard Branson’s spacecraft for the ball as he sends it somewhere into the upper atmosphere. It comes down on Liam Williams’ head but is soon in South African hands - though travels forwards from them, just outside of the Lions 22. Ali Price will feed a scrum, but everyone is in need of some fluids first, while Wyn Jones will get an encouraging rub (or something of that sort) on a slight injury issue in his back. Back into the abattoir.
South Africa 3-10 Lions, 32 minutes
A misthrown South African lineout and a Lions scrum. That’s the most stable of the match, and Jack Conan pops the ball up for Ali Price to allow the Lions an attack towards the South Africa 22. There is so much more fizz to their efforts this week, again winning the collision off first phase.
And here goes Maro Itoje! He breaks the elastic of a would-be tackler after a deft offload from his second row partner Alun Wyn Jones, but finds support lacking, and South Africa just about scramble to win the turnover penalty with fine jackaling work. They are clinging on, as they tend to do well.
South Africa 3-10 Lions, 30 minutes
It looks like another dominant drive from the Lions and Ken Owens is spying white again as he moves nearer the South African line, but he is only allowed that progress thanks to the work of Tom Curry, who goes all NFL offensive lineman exploding to the second level, detaching himself from the maul and thus conceding a penalty for obstruction. South Africa penalty.
We finally get a wide-angle replay of that Williams/Adams chance, and it won’t be pretty watching come the Monday review for the full-back - if Williams gives it then Adams is over without even shifting up through the gears. A poor decision from Williams.
South Africa 3-10 Lions, 28 minutes
Ooh! Is that a chance missed? The Lions continue to play to width very effectively with Finn Russell up at the line and he wipes the windows in front of the face of Makazole Mapimpi with a gorgeously flat wide pass with advantage coming. Liam Williams collects and it appears a simple two-on-one to put Josh Adams away for a 30-yard canter to the line, but Williams dummies and tries to go himself. There might have been cover coming across but he had to pass that, surely?
Back to the penalty and Finn Russell again expertly finds the corner.
South Africa 3-10 Lions, 26 minutes
The recently repaired money-maker of Franco Mostert appears to be in some peril as Ali Price lines up a box kick with the lock-cum-blindside unblocked, but it is his enormous forearms that block Price’s clearance, leaving Ken Owens a pressure lineout deep inside his own 22...
But the Lions hooker won’t even have to throw it - South Africa concede a soft free kick and the Lions thump the ball away.
South Africa 3-10 Lions, 25 minutes
South Africa advance further and will set another maul, which appears to stumble over fallen bodies, but it is only South African shirts investigating the carpet closely. That means that Reinach will again play away, and eventually, inevitably, the kick comes from Handre Pollard, taken well by the Lions towards their right-hand corner.
South Africa 3-10 Lions, 24 minutes
Another scrum goes down, with Wyn Jones’ binding technique perhaps a little questionable as he and Frans Malherbe collapse together. No penalty, though, and Cobus Reinach has a little explore to the blindside, kicking ahead but finding only a Lions leg, which skews the ball out of play.
South Africa 3-10 Lions, 23 minutes
The Lions create a maul fifteen metres in, which feels like a statement of sorts. It is set reasonably nicely but South Africa stall it, and the ball fails to make safe passage to the back as it slips through red hands to the floor. A knock-on.
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