South Africa v British & Irish Lions

Coca Cola Park (Ellis Park) – Johannesburg

Date:4 July 2009 – Kick Off 3pm local time (2pm BST)

UK Television: Sky Sports 1 & HD 1 (1.30pm)

Weather: Sunny, Max 15 degrees

Referee:Stuart Dickinson (Australia)

Assistant Referees: Christophe Berdos (France), Vinny Munro (New Zealand)

Television Match Official:Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)

Assessor:Tappe Henning

Timekeeper:Gabriel Pappas

Match Preview

All change for both sides as the Springboks announce ten changes to their side and the British & Irish Lions announce seven changes to their side in this last dead rubber of a test match.

Riki Flutey and Joe Worsley make their test debuts for the Lions with Shane Williams, Andrew Sheridan, Phil Vickery, Martyn Williams and Ugo Monye coming back into the side to face the Boks.

With a string of injuries to key players in the second test it was inevitable that the Lions would need to make changes to their team to cover the key losses, particularly replacing the outstanding centre partnership of Brian O’Driscoll and Jamie Roberts, and the front row pair of props Gethin Jenkins and Adam Jones.

The Springboks also named a hugely amended side with the obvious changes being for the two suspended players Schalk Burger and Bakkies Botha.

Into the side come a number of new faces with Zane Kirchner making his debut for the Boks and a new wing partnership in Odwa Ndungane and Jongi Nokwe to name just a few of the changes.

Only scrum half Fourie du Preez, Juan Smith, Victor Matfield,” The Beast” and captain John Smit retain their places in the side to face the Lions.

With the final match of the series taking on a very different look to the line ups, the form guide will go out the window on this one.

The game is set to go off as a one off test match in its own right. The Lions will be playing for Pride and head coach Ian McGeechan will not want to leave South Africa without a test win. Indeed McGeechan himself will be out of work after the Lions tour and will need a good win in order to improve his job prospects back in Britain.

The Boks, on the other hand, will want to inflict maximum damage on the Lions and send them home with a 3-0 white wash, just like the last tour to New Zealand in 2005.

There is extra pressure on Bok coach Peter de Villiers in that the word on the street is that if the Boks lose this test match and his post match comments are considered to be inappropriate again then he will be facing the axe from the top job.

So whilst this test is being labelled as a dead rubber, there is very much still interest from both sides as to how this match plays out with the victors relieving some much needed pressure and heaping it onto their opponents in spades.

Lions-Tour.com Prediction

With all the changes on both sides it is difficult to predict how this is going to go, but our feeling is that the Lions will pinch it to restore some pride for the Lions in the final game of the series.

South Africa 24 British & Irish Lions 28

Betting – Finish The Tour With Pride – 3rd Test preview

The Lions tour reaches an anti-climatic end as they travel to Coca Cola Park this Saturday looking to avoid a series whitewash. The Lions have now lost their last seven tests against Southern Hemisphere opposition and a win could be vital if the British and Irish Lions are to have a future.

Both coaches have made a raft of changes, both for different reasons. After a brutal encounter in Pretoria, talisman Brian O’Driscoll has been forced to return home early due to concussion and prop Adam Jones is ruled out with a dislocated shoulder. The Lions have opted to ‘freshen things up’ and have included Joe Worsley and Martyn Williams in the backrow. Ugo Monye is afforded another opportunity on the wing after his profligacy in the first test and an out of form Shane Williams has been handed the other wing berth. This means a move to outside centre for Tommy Bowe and a mouthwatering clash with last weeks try scoring hero Jaque Fourie.

Given the bitterness and fall out from last weekend’s encounter perhaps it’s a good thing that there have been so many changes. Although for a so called ‘dead rubber’ expect a physical, intense clash. The Boks are playing for Tri Nations places and the Lions will be going all out to avoid a whitewash. The South African back row has arguably a better balance than previous weeks and the midfield combination includes the form players from the Super 14. Prediction: The Boks to win with some to spare.

3rd Test Money-Back Special

If 2 or more South African players are sin-binned Paddy Power will refund all losing try scorer and winning margin bets on the match.

Handicap Match Betting

10/11 -10 South Africa win

20/1 Handicap Draw

10/11 +10 The Lions win

First Tryscorer

10/1 Nokwe

10/1 Ndungane

12/1 Monye

12/1 S. Williams

14/1 F. Steyn

14/1 Kirchner

16/1 Kearney

16/1 Bowe

18/1 Flutey