Third Test - South Africa v British and Irish Lions
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg Date: Saturday 4 July Start: 1400 BST
Coverage: Live on Sky Sports, 5 Live and live text commentary on the BBC Sport website
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By Simon Austin
BBC Sport in Johannesburg |
 Lions captain Paul O'Connell has to rally his battered troops
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Warren Gatland says the British and Irish Lions must win the third Test against South Africa on Saturday, even though the series has been lost.
The Springboks have an unassailable 2-0 lead, but Lions assistant coach Gatland says it is not a dead rubber.
"There is a huge amount at stake for these guys," insisted Gatland.
"If we don't front up and perform, all the hard work and effort the guys have put in could be thrown away. We have got to win the game."
History is certainly at stake for both sides.
South Africa are aiming for their first clean sweep against the Lions for 118 years, while the tourists are desperate not to be whitewashed for the second series in succession.
Sir Clive Woodward presided over a 3-0 series defeat in New Zealand in 2005.
Gatland insists the Lions have earned respect for their performances in the first two Tests and does not want that thrown away at Ellis Park on Saturday.
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SIMON AUSTIN BLOG
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"We've got to make sure we finish this series on a real high," insisted the New Zealander.
"Some tough questions are going to be asked and it would be easy for three or four of the players not to give 100% or to be slightly below their best.
"If that happens, we could find ourselves on the end of a disappointing result."
Both Lions coach Ian McGeechan and his South African counterpart Peter de Villiers have made a raft of changes to their sides.
Only five players who started for the Boks in Pretoria last weekend remain, with De Villiers keeping one eye on his side's Tri Nations opener against New Zealand on 25 July.
The Lions have made eight changes in all, one of them positional, yet Gatland believes the game will still be intense.
"You can understand the Springboks wanting to give some of their players an opportunity looking ahead to the Tri Nations.
"They will have a huge amount of motivation and likewise for us, we've got to finish this tour on a real high with a really solid performance."
Lions have a future - O'Connell
The match will once again pitch Lions prop Phil Vickery against Tendai 'The Beast' Mtawarira, who was his nemesis in Durban two weeks ago.
Vickery was replaced by Adam Jones early in the second half of that game and dropped from the 22-man squad for the second Test.
The Cornishman has returned to the side because of the shoulder injury Jones sustained last week.
He said: "This is going to be my last game in a Lions jersey and I want to make sure I go out on a high.
"I've got another opportunity and am confident in myself and the people around me.
"Emotionally you've got to make sure you're right up there and there are some technical things I need to get on board.
"There will be some differences (from two weeks ago) as well. Shawsy (lock Simon Shaw) is behind me and there is a different referee as well."
And Mtawarira himself has been warned by his captain John Smit he will be facing a very different animal at Ellis Park on Saturday.
"I have known Phil a long time," admitted Smit.
"He is a far greater player than what came out in the first Test. I think he will be as relieved and as excited as anyone to have another crack at the Springboks and certainly at our front row.
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606: DEBATE
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"He has done damage to many front rows before and I have already said it to Tendai that there is going to be a completely different person in front of him.
"Tendai needs to be really up for it. Phil is the kind of guy who has been around for a long time so he will have learned a great deal from that first Test."
Forwards coach Gatland has also backed prop Vickery to perform.
"I think he's got to go in with a bit of confidence," he said. "He has had a good chat to Adam Jones, who didn't think much about the Beast at all.
Lions start is career highlight - Williams
"He has taken a bit of confidence from the way Adam scrummaged and remember, he has been around for a long time and is very experienced."
Gatland added that the Lions had been unhappy with some off-the-ball incidents in the first two Tests.
"We said after the first match that we weren't going to take any after-the-ball instances, in terms of pushing and verbals," he said.
"So last week there was a great intensity but it probably was not a great advertisement for rugby and how it should be played."
Gatland said referee Stuart Dickinson had promised to crack down on this in Saturday's match.
South Africa: Kirchner (Bulls); Ndungane (Sharks), Fourie (Lions), Olivier (Bulls), Nokwe (Cheetahs); M Steyn (Bulls), Du Preez (Bulls); Mtawarira (Sharks), Ralepelle (Bulls), Smit (Sharks), Muller (Sharks), Matfield (Bulls), Brussow (Cheetahs), Smith (Cheetahs), Kankowski (Sharks).
Replacements: B du Plessis (Sharks), Steenkamp (Bulls), Carstens (Sharks), Sykes (Sharks), Spies (Bulls), R Pienaar (Sharks), F Steyn (Sharks).
Lions: Kearney; Monye, Bowe, Flutey, S Williams; S Jones, Phillips; Sheridan, Rees, Vickery, Shaw, O'Connell, Worsley, M Williams, Heaslip.
Replacements: Ford, Hayes, Alun-Wyn Jones, Wallace, Croft, Ellis, Hook.
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