(Photo by Duif du Toit/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Rarely has the cruelty of sport at the highest level been so clear to see as on the faces of the British and Irish Lions players after the second Test in Pretoria. As Morne Steyn’s kick flew between the uprights, the hearts of four nations sank along with those of their battered warriors.

The Lions now head to Johannesburg for the third and final Test with only pride to play for; ruing the injustice of Schalk Burger’s inexcusably generous yellow card, a multitude of injuries in key positions, and their own inability to close out the game.

Yet for all their disappointment, their courage and bravery in the face of adversity must be admired.

At the end of a season spanning almost an entire year for these players, the task of beating the the World Champion Spingboks in their own backyard, was considered to be nearly impossible. A task made harder by the fact that they would have only five weeks to prepare.

And so it proved to be a bridge too far, but only just. The fact that they pushed the Boks to their limits is a success in itself, and although they will return with another series defeat, the class of 2009 has showed that the ethos of the Lions is well and truly alive.

South Africa too must be credited for its resilience and ability to handle pressure, as well as for their whole contribution to two of the most exciting test matches ever played.

For over an hour, everything was going according to plan for McGeechan’s men, as they went into the final quarter leading 19-8. However, two wonderfully crafted tries for Bryan Habana and Jacques Fourie brought the Boks back into contention, before Steyn’s last-gasp winner.

The drama began as early as the first minute, when Schalk Burger, making his 50th Test appearance for South Africa, was spotted eye gouging Luke Fitzgerald by Linesman Brys Lawrence. Lawrence’s recommendation to referee Christophe Berdos was “at least a yellow card,” but it is hard to fathom how the Frenchman did not produce a red.

Comments following the game by South African coach Peter de Villiers that Burger did not deserve even a yellow card have incensed the Lions, and justifiably so. There is unquestionably no place for eye-gouging in the game of rugby and to suggest otherwise is "mind boggling" in the opinion of Brian O’Driscoll.

Unfazed by the event, the Lions went about their business to stunning effect as the imperious Irish full-back Rob Kearney, who had a flawless match, crossed the whitewash in the seventh minute. But having conceded 10 points with Burger off the field, the Boks scored immediately upon his return.

Juan Smith won a line-out at the tail and scrum-half Du Preez released wing JP Pietersen, who picked a superb angle to ease past Fitzgerald and over to the right of the posts.

Stephen Jones and Francois Steyn traded penalties to leave the score at 16-8 at half-time.

The Second half did not begin well for the Lions, as they lost both props, Gethin Jenkins and Adam Jones, to injury. Witnesses to the first test may have considered the idea of uncontested scrums against John Smit and "the Beast" to be a godsend, but the two Welshmen were dominating their opposite numbers and the Lions missed them badly for the last half an hour.

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