"Although maybe it doesn't seem so to some people, we are certainly making strides forward," he insisted, almost daring his inquisitors to contradict him.

Statistically he is right. A year ago, England lost 32-6 to the All Blacks, so halving the losing deficit to 19-6 on Saturday was progress of sorts.

As the only Englishman to have tasted victory over New Zealand three times, Johnson knows that such claims have to be put into some perspective, however.

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After what he admitted had been a tough week for players and coaches after the turgid display against Argentina, the irony of a morale-boosting defeat, if that is how Saturday's events at Twickenham can be couched, was not lost on the manager.

"We won last week, we lost this week. Everyone seems to be happier when we are losing," he noted.

Certainly the crowd were appreciative of a combative England effort, which ensured they remained in the game for the best part of an hour before Jimmy Cowan's solitary try settled the outcome.

After the booing that greeted them at half-time against the Pumas last week, the rousing chorus of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" during a stoppage in play with seven minutes left at least showed the Barboured brigade were back on side.

But when a 13-point deficit, and an eighth consecutive defeat, by the All Blacks is cause for some kind of cheer, surely it only highlights how far English rugby's stock has fallen.

Johnson's men competed well up front, scrambled well in defence and maintained their energy levels for the full 80 minutes against a side that has not conceded a try now in their last seven Tests on European soil.

But despite becoming embroiled in a close contest, ultimately New Zealand still won with something to spare, even if they were frustrated in their attempts to give their attacking talents full rein.

They might reflect that had not Daniel Carter inexplicably missed two first-half penalties he would normally have slotted in his sleep, or the superb Mils Muliaina been foiled in the left corner by Ugo Monye's last-ditch covering tackle, they could have been out of sight by half-time.

But Carter's misses, which book-ended the first half, and the intervention of video referee Nigel Whitehouse, served to keep spirits high on and off the pitch, even if England never threatened to extend the visitors after the interval.

Individually, there was plenty of sustenance to see Johnson through the next 12 weeks before England open their Six Nations campaign with the visit of Wales to Twickenham.

Much-maligned captain Steve Borthwick had far more of an obvious influence on proceedings than usual, Simon Shaw played his usual expert hand on his return, while James Haskell continued to run hard, even if his decision-making at the back of the scrum let him down at times.

Scrum-half Paul Hodgson was also a busy, galvanising presence who deserves another chance, while Mark Cueto was a solid presence at full-back and Monye was far more at home, and a threat, having been restored to his familiar station on the wing.

The returns of Lewis Moody, in particular, and fellow World Cup winners Jonny Wilkinson and Steve Thompson, have also added an extra layer of experience and quality in key positions, even if Wilkinson's was a mixed bag on Saturday.

It was Moody, followed by a fired-up Thompson, who addressed the England players in their post-match huddle on the pitch afterwards, emphasising how the flanker has become one of the team's leaders, on and off the pitch.

"When he speaks, you listen," noted Haskell afterwards. "He is very clear and concise, a no-nonsense guy you can follow. He puts his body on the line and makes everybody want to go over the top with him."

So what was the thrust of Moody's post-match address? "It was basically that we showed we can compete with these guys, that we have the ability," Haskell said. "It is about putting the polish on now, the finishing touch."

That, unfortunately for those of a red rose persuasion, was the glaring difference between the sides, even if New Zealand only scored one try, which is all they managed against Wales and Italy as well.

But the clinical efficiency and expertise with which they seized the moment, after 57 minutes, spoke volumes.

A series of patient pick-and-drives took them to within metres of the England line before man-of-the-match Richie McCaw spotted the opening, put wing Sitiveni Sivivatu into half a yard of space, took the return pass and sent Cowan over in the left corner.

When Carter banged over the conversion from the touchline, you sensed a 10-point lead would be enough.

And so it proved, with England spending large parts of the final quarter in fluster mode whenever the New Zealand try-line came into view.

The lack of patience was highlighted almost immediately as Wilkinson, with England on the attack in the All Blacks 22 having kicked a penalty to touch, opted for a hurried drop-goal that missed its target.

Jonny Wilkinson is off target with his hurried drop-goal attempt in the final quarter

Other grisly moments followed. A hospital pass from Haskell saw Monye enveloped by greedy All Black tacklers. A Shane Geraghty cross-kick to Matt Banahan was knocked on to groans.

But even when another Carter penalty took New Zealand out to 19-6, England had further chances.

Three attacking scrums in the final third were criminally wasted. From the first, 10 metres out, Haskell hesitated and replacement Louis Deacon lost the ball in contact. The next saw a dismal pass from the number eight to Banahan, who knocked on again.

Finally, with the crowd rousing them for a scrum 5m out, Haskell opted for a flipped pass between his legs that Danny Care, standing almost right behind him, also knocked on.

If Tom Croft's barnstorming run to the right corner was only denied by one of several superb Carter tackles, the lack of attacking nous and 'game understanding' - the phrase Haskell used to underline New Zealand's try - between the sides was profound, if not exactly a new phenomenon.

New Zealand coach Graham Henry was happy enough, feeling his side had delivered some "quality rugby" in their best performance of the tour, ahead of a potential humdinger against France in Marseille next week.

He also proclaimed himself "very impressed" with the way England played.

The question now is how they will play when they reconvene in the new year to prepare for the Six Nations.

While Saturday proved England can still compete physically with the world's best, tactically they remain in flux, struggling to find a coherent pattern and sense of purpose.

While Johnson took solace from the imminent return of some of the injured players unavailable to him over the past three weeks, it is doubtful they will still start the Six Nations any higher than third favourites at best.

"Ultimately we need to decide how we want to play in the tournament and pick accordingly," said Johnson as he concluded his post-match debrief.

If that wasn't quite an admission that England haven't settled on either their optimum personnel or game plan yet, it certainly hinted at it.

But then maybe it summed up the prevailing mood after a defeat that restored pride but reminded us of old failings still to be addressed.

Not all black by any means, just different shades of grey.

If the 39-year-old is already mentally on the verge of collecting his free bus pass, then by the time it gets dark at Twickenham on Saturday they could be metaphorically nailing down his coffin.

"The All Blacks are consistent in performance," the beetle-browed manager noted as he contemplated this week's visitors to south west London. "If we make the same mistakes, we'll be in big trouble."

He was certainly right on the first count (we'll come to the second later.) New Zealand may not have won a World Cup since 1987 and that will remain a treasured taunt for opposition fans and source of pain for Kiwis until a second one arrives, but they could never be labelled an up-and-down team.

In the same period, New Zealand - all under the stewardship of Graham Henry - have played 75 Tests and won 63, a phenomenal success ratio of 84%.

Which would you rather as a fan? A glorious high once every four years, with sporadically uplifting victories amid the general mediocrity meantime? Or a shattering low followed by a conveyor belt of triumphs and titles?

Dan Carter is on the brink of becoming the All Blacks top all-time points scorer

And yet this has been a poor year by recent All Black standards. They have lost four Test matches - one to France, three to South Africa - and any further setbacks could cause senior officials in the New Zealand Rugby Union to wonder if they were right to give Henry a second crack at ending their World Cup famine.

In theory the gnarled old coach should be wary of a visit to Twickenham, where England have upset the New Zealand applecart on several occasions (1983, 1993, 2002) over the last quarter of a century or so.

Yet despite his protestations, you can't help feeling that this Saturday's set-to is more a chance for the All Blacks to fine-tune some areas of their game before next week's hazardous looking Test in Marseille, than a serious examination of their pedigree.

Henry, of course, is having none of that. England, he maintains, remain a dangerous proposition, even more so after being pilloried for a turgid performance in victory against Argentina.

"I seem to remember they were booed at the World Cup in 2007 and finished up in the final," he remarked. "They will be highly motivated. For a big game like this they will be on the edge of the edge. We have got no false illusions as to where England are at. We know they will play well. They have selected players with a physical approach and we expect a big Test."

Yet even if England make it a closer contest than most expect - and Henry is aware the rain forecast for Saturday may mitigate against a free-flowing encounter - he still holds most of the cards.

He has Dan Carter for a start. At some point on Saturday - the first time he makes his presence felt on the scoreboard - the celebrated fly-half will overtake Andrew Mehrtens' All Blacks points-scoring record of 957.

Carter likes playing against England, despite his first encounter against them coming as a replacement in that memorable 15-13 win for Johnson's World Cup winners-elect in Wellington back in June 2003.

The 27-year-old has started all seven Tests the countries have played - and New Zealand have won every one - since that filthy night, amassing 137 points at an average of nearly 20 a game.

Alongside him the backline has a settled look. The marvellous full-back Mils Muliaina - scorer of two tries in their 32-6 win at Twickenham last year - will play his 81st test to join Justin Marshall as the second most capped All Black on Saturday, while the ferocious Ma'a Nonu and artful Conrad Smith are a maturing, balanced centre combination.

Wing Sitiveni Sivivatu "does things most players can't do" according to assistant coach Steve Hansen, now in charge of attack, rather than the pack. But in the absence of Sivivatu's injured cousin Joe Rokocoko, the All Blacks have shown no hesitation in giving 20-year-old wing Zac Guildford only his second Test start at Twickenham, after a highly promising debut against Wales a fortnight ago.

"He is very good under the high ball, can pop up anywhere in the backline from phase play, he's got a lot of pace and scores tries," Hansen offered by way of explanation.

In contrast to England's safety-first approach to selection, the All Blacks are also pitching tight-head prop Owen Franks, 21, into the fray alongside two of their core forwards, Tony Woodcock and Andrew Hore, and giving lock Tom Donnelly only his fifth cap in tandem with another, Brad Thorn.

The back row also has an interesting blend with the industrious Adam Thompson joining the improving Kieran Read and the imperious Richie McCaw.

Graham Henry has kept faith with Hawkes Bay winger Zac Guildford

New Zealand may have issues to resolve in a few positions over the next two years - scrum-half, number eight, lock and tight-head are all still up for grabs - but they are using this transitional year, the midway point between World Cups, to assess the contenders and add depth to their squad.

When, as in South Africa, there is pressure to win every Test regardless of circumstances, that is not always easy, but assistant coach Wayne Smith sees ominous parallels.

"It reminds me a bit of 2004," Smith said recently. "We had to re-establish ourselves after a poor Tri-Nations and we did that and built up a really good team in 2005 and 2006." [They lost just three out of 39 Tests before the 2007 World Cup quarter-final defeat to France in Cardiff - their only loss in 24 Tests on European soil since England last beat them at Twickenham in 2002.] "We are really happy with the development and character of the team," Smith added.

Not completely happy, mind, and this is where Johnson's fear of the consequences of further England ineptitude on Saturday comes in.

The bad news for those of a red rose persuasion is the All Blacks arrive at Twickenham in frustrated mood themselves.

They may have extended their record of not conceding a try in Europe to six Tests over the last fortnight against Wales and Italy, but only scoring one themselves in each game clearly rankles.

"We haven't been totally happy with the way we have gone and we want to make sure we put a performance together," warned captain McCaw. "We have played good in parts but there is room to improve yet. It would be good to nail those opportunities. We feel we are not far off."

If they hit anything approaching top form at Twickenham, that will be way too near for Johnson.

Not the words of some excitable PR type, but a player who won the World Cup with England.

Such has been the growth in stature and quality of European rugby's showpiece club tournament over the past 14 years that Mike Tindall's remarks back in January barely raised an eyebrow.

This weekend's opening skirmishes illustrate the point.

Leinster v London Irish, Munster v Northampton, Cardiff Blues v Harlequins, Stade Francais v Edinburgh and Leicester v Ospreys are all contests to warm the cockles of any rugby fan as the colder, darker days of autumn set in.

This year's contenders from England, Wales and Scotland set their sights on the Heineken Cup

Friday's opening night includes a meeting of two former champions, Ulster (1999) and Bath (1998) at Ravenhill, but top billing undoubtedly goes to the clash at a capacity RDS in Dublin.

Defending champions Leinster, top of the Magners League despite the delayed entrance of their Lions this season, host free-scoring London Irish, hurtling along at 30 points a game in the Guinness Premiership and semi-finalists two years ago on their last foray into the Heineken.

Such is the strength of the hosts' backline that Rob Kearney, who announced himself as a world star with his performances for the Lions in the Test series in South Africa, only makes the bench.

The Exiles, meanwhile, are among those teams looking to establish themselves as a genuine European power, joining the Leicesters, Munsters, Toulouses and Wasps of this world.

"It is probably easier to predict the end of the economic downturn than go to Leinster first up," quips their ebullient coach Toby Booth. "But we want to test ourselves against the best and we are going to be tested from the outset. They are a formidable side but we aspire to be in that upper bracket."

A lofty ambition perhaps, but not unrealistic for a club that has made impressive progress in recent years and narrowly missed out on a first domestic title last season.

Along with perennial contenders Leicester, and perhaps Northampton, Irish represent England's best hope of adding to their six titles, two more than France and Ireland, the only other countries to have produced a winner.

So what prospect of any of the four Welsh, two Scottish or two Italian sides disrupting that status quo this year?

OK, let's be honest, we can probably discount the latter. Treviso will do well to win a single match in a group featuring Munster, Perpignan and Northampton, while Viadana are unlikely to break their Heineken Cup duck with Leicester, Ospreys and Clermont Auvergne for company.

Win-bonus points will be the requirement against Italian opposition for the three contenders in what are likely to be the two most fiercely contested groups, with only one team likely to emerge from each.

The two Scottish sides at least have hopes of reaching the last eight, even if few would put too many euros on it.

The one occasion Glasgow made it out of their group was 11 years ago, when there was a play-off stage before the quarter-finals. They lost 90-19 at Leicester. The joke doing the rounds at the time was that if you said the score quickly, it sounded like a draw.

Edinburgh and Glasgow are far from a laughing stock now, but the game north of the border could do with one of the two making a statement on the European stage to build on the progress made in the Magners League.

Wales came within a missed shoot-out kick of having their first finalist last season (Cardiff Blues) since the inaugural competition in 1996, the Blues and Ospreys both reaching the knock-out stages for a second successive year.

The capital side, without several key players, may struggle to match that feat this time round, but the Ospreys still have ample room for improvement with the quality at their disposal.

Will Brian O'Driscoll be celebrating a second successive Leinster triumph next May?

"Leinster waited 14 years to win it," notes Ospreys captain Ryan Jones. "We have only been around for six. I think we are doing alright so far."

Nevertheless, Jones admits their dismal 43-9 quarter-final capitulation to Munster in Limerick last season "didn't sit well". "We learnt some pretty harsh lessons there," he added.

The biggest one, perhaps, that unless you finish top of your group and among the top four seeds, progressing beyond the quarter-finals will always be a tall order.

Getting out of their pool will be hard enough, but the Ospreys can take heart from the likes of Munster and Leinster - teams that kept knocking at the door before finally barging it down.

The history of the competition, especially in the past decade, suggests that once a side reaches the European summit, there is a good chance of them climbing the mountain again.

Leicester, Toulouse, Wasps and Munster have all tasted glory twice since the turn of the decade.

As the 24 participants embark on another European adventure this weekend, a second successive Leinster triumph, to this observer at least, looks the most likely outcome.

But who knows which parts the sponsor's tipple will refresh this year?

It struck him, he said, immediately the final whistle sounded at Ellis Park.

No doubt it will continue to gnaw away at the proud Irishman long after the dust has settled on one of the greatest, if not successful, Lions series ever.

"After we have got over enjoying this, we might be filled with regret," he said. "But that is sport. It can be so cruel...We could be looking at 'what ifs?' for a long time."

Saturday might have been the crowning glory of O'Connell's career. He might have been up there alongside the legendary Lions captains, Willie-John McBride and Martin Johnson, in leading a successful mission to South Africa.

Instead, after events in Durban and, particularly, Pretoria over the past two weekends, his consolation was merely a first victory in his sixth Lions Test.

But boy, it was some win, and should be a considerable comfort. The way this pride of 2009 summoned such intensity, emotion and élan to their game after the agony of their last-second defeat in the second Test was a staggering achievement.

South Africa had only lost twice at their spiritual home in 19 Tests since their readmission to Test rugby in 1994, and not since France last stormed the fortress in 2001.

But the Lions, much to the surprise of this observer and many others, not only summoned the furies for a third successive week, but produced the same emphatic 28-9 scoreline by which McBride's 1974 Lions beat the Boks in Pretoria.

Heroes were not hard to find.

Full-back Rob Kearney continued to look every inch a Lion, Tommy Bowe again showed what a talent he is, this time at centre, while alongside him Riki Flutey had a huge game defensively as well as creating the second of Shane Williams' tries.

The front five established a superb platform, allowing Martyn Williams and Jamie Heaslip to show off the full range of their back-row skills.

As beaten Boks captain John Smit admitted: "They were all over us in every department."

Every player seeking some redemption for recent woes found it with aplomb.

Phil Vickery, given a chance to assure the abiding memory of his Lions career was not his mauling by "The Beast" in Durban, responded superbly.

The first scrum of the game, when Springboks hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle popped up to concede a penalty, was hugely symbolic, and set the tone up front.

Vickery, the only player left who also featured in the Lions' last Test victory, in Brisbane in 2001, trooped off after 55 minutes to a deservedly warm reception.

Shane Williams, who conceded beforehand he had "beaten himself up" over his struggles on this tour, was a liberated force, coming off his wing to good effect and finishing off his tries like the World Player of the Year he is.

Ugo Monye also unleashed the frustration of his first Test foibles with a clenched-fists roar to celebrate his 70m interception try that took the Lions clear.

It meant that over the series they out-scored the Boks seven-five on tries, and 74-63 on aggregate points.

But O'Connell was not about to take any consolation in such statistical irrelevancies.

"Let's not lose track of the fact they won the series," he noted, adding finally: "That is all that matters."

Certainly these Lions did not achieve their ultimate goal. But the reception as they saluted their army of 30-odd thousand fans at the end told of other objectives fulfilled, not least a resurgence of pride and credibility after the calamity of 2005.

Those marvellous supporters, and no doubt those of you enthralled back home or elsewhere, appreciated the scale of the endeavour, even if they came up just short.

"What these players have achieved in five or six weeks should never be underestimated," said Ian McGeechan, who preserved his record of winning at least one Test on each of the four tours he has led as head coach over the past 20 years.

"They have played the world champions in their own backyard and given as good as they have got over three Tests, in one of the outstanding series I've been involved in."

As for O'Connell, the word he kept repeating time and time again as he pondered the emotions of this Lions experience was 'tough'.

Tough week. Tough series. Tough tour. Tough luck.

If the odds were not already stacked against his side before it started, they have only lengthened as each week of their South African safari has unfolded.

After the brutality of the defining Pretoria Test, the impending joust in Jo'burg will hardly be a walk in Ellis Park either, despite a much-changed Springboks side.

Jeremy Guscott, who played in the final Tests of the 1989, 1993 and 1997 tours, believes for these Lions, Saturday will be "one of the toughest games they are ever likely to play in".

"Yes, you are still Lions and can wear the shirt with pride, but it is a dead rubber effectively," he said. "It is a bit like the third-fourth place play-off at the World Cup."

But while no player wants to play in that game, those still standing on this tour appear - at least publically - to be relishing one last crack at the Boks.

They may be without two first-choice props, and both their stellar centres - Jamie Roberts having joined Brian O'Driscoll on the hors de combat list.

But even as he laments the loss of the "outstanding" Gethin Jenkins and Adam Jones, and a dynamic midfield duo that, after just four outings together, may never be seen in tandem again, McGeechan continues to espouse defiant optimism.

These tourists aim to go out with a bang, playing the same brand of positive and entertaining rugby that has so thrilled the senses these past two weeks.

If it finally yields a tangible reward, some rather unpleasant statistics will be avoided, not least extending a record sequence of seven Lions Test defeats since 2001.

The Lions have also never been completely whitewashed in the 12 previous series they have played in South Africa stretching back 118 years.

The parties of 1903, 1924, 1962 and 1968 may not have won a Test, but they all managed at least one draw in their respective series.

An inglorious statistical footnote would be a sad way to conclude McGeechan's 35-year association with the Lions, encompassing 20 Tests as a player and head coach.

He said after steering the 2005 midweek Lions to an unbeaten record that he would not be guiding any future tours "unless they bring coaches out in wheelchairs".

But at 62, his energy and enthusiasm for the whole concept have once again shone through, even if he was moved to point out on Thursday that "I don't like losing, I never have done," in case anyone thought glorious defeat was his stock in trade.

But never mind the head coach, there are other reputations in need of a boost on Saturday.

Assistant coaches Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards are not the sort of men to accept a 3-0 series defeat without some serious soul-searching, nor too the on-field leadership.

Captain Paul O'Connell will be 33 in four years' time, so another tour is not out of the question, but a player who has won Heineken Cups and a Six Nations Grand Slam does not want his Lions Test CV to read 'played six, lost six'.

Now Wales prop Jenkins has departed injured, O'Connell is the only player left in the current side who started all three losing Tests in New Zealand in 2005, although fly-half Stephen Jones was also involved in all three.

Among a side showing eight changes, four enforced and one positional, they will not be alone in wanting to salvage something more tangible than mere pride.

Shane Williams, Ugo Monye and Phil Vickery all have a bit of restoration work to do on reputations partially tarnished by recent events, while Martyn Williams, Joe Worsley, Andrew Sheridan and Riki Flutey are all starting their first Lions Test, even if it is also likely to be their last.

"They want to be there, which is very important for a third Test," noted McGeechan, who knows better than anyone the emotion that will swirling around the Lions dressing-room before and after Saturday's match.

"As soon as you leave a Lions tour, you know you have left something which is so different to anything else you are asked to do as a coach or a player," he added.

"I have seen it as a huge privilege and an unbelievable experience to be involved so often with them. I have a lot of very good memories in South Africa, and a lot from this tour."

Is it too much to expect one last hurrah from the Lion king?

Wales flanker Martyn Williams has been giving us the 'behind the scenes' view of life inside the Lions' camp on their South Africa tour.

I will be speaking to Martyn again on Thursday afternoon, after the team is announced for the third Test.

So in the final week of the tour, this is your last chance to ask him any questions you may have about what has unfolded so far, on and off the field.

I'll collate the best of them and his answers will appear on the site on Friday.

Eye-gouging, along with biting, and kicking an opponent's head, has long been seen as one of rugby's three greatest sins.

So the outrage that has greeted the actions of Springboks flanker Schalk Burger against British and Irish Lions wing Luke Fitzgerald in Saturday's second Test comes as no surprise.

Nor does the general impression that Burger, who received an eight-week ban after a lengthy disciplinary hearing, has got off rather lightly.

Springboks head coach Peter de Villiers provided further ammunition for those who believe he is fast becoming a joke figure with his comments about the incident at the post-match media conference.

While we are used to coaches defending their players to the hilt even when the evidence against them is damning, De Villiers subjected himself to open ridicule when he said he didn't believe Burger's actions even merited a card.

While rugby is a primitive sport in many respects and has long been associated with acts of violence on the field, De Villiers' view that "this is sport, this is what it is all about" sparked incredulity among his audience.

Having viewed the footage again, on Monday he maintained that Burger "did nothing on purpose" and that "he is an honourable man".

The first point is certainly open to question, the second an interesting slant.

Burger, for all his abrasiveness on the field, is by all accounts a popular, outgoing character off it, who has a good rapport with opposition players, with whom he enjoys socialising after a game.

But his reputation as a hard-but-fair player is now surely tarnished forever.

With the welter of TV cameras at major Test matches these days, and the likelihood of being caught, one wonders what was going through his head barely 30 seconds into the match in Pretoria.

Perhaps he wanted to test the veracity of the eve-of-match comments by Lions forwards coach Warren Gatland that the tourists 'would not take a backward step'.

The incident was unusual of its kind in that it was picked up by the officials straight away, and dealt with promptly, instead of retrospective action being taken when an incident is highlighted after a game.

Touch judge Bryce Lawrence did well in the first instance to even spot the incident out the corner of his eye in the aftermath of a first-minute ruck.

Replays showed Burger pulling Fitzgerald to the ground with his right arm round the Irishman's neck, before bringing his left arm round in front of his own face and directing his left middle finger towards Fitzgerald's eye area.

To this observer, the intent of Burger's actions appeared quite evident, and Lawrence appeared to agree. He was heard telling referee Christophe Berdos that there were "clearly fingers in the eye" before giving the Frenchman his recommendation: "I think it is at least a yellow card".

As an experienced referee, the question remains why if Lawrence was so sure of what he had seen, he did not more forcibly recommend a red card, rather than giving Berdos the easier option, in the opening moments of a major Test, of brandishing a yellow.

Citings can only be made if the match commissioner, in this case New Zealander Steve Hinds, considers offences serious enough to have demanded more than the punishment handed out by the referee.

Sometimes sentences are reduced on the basis that actions are deemed reckless rather than intentional, as was the case with Italy captain Sergio Parisse, who was also given an eight-week ban for gouging All Black lock Isaac Ross in Auckland on Saturday.

But no such mitigation was given by the judicial officer in the case of Burger, who was found guilty of 'making contact with the face in the eye area'.

His eight-week ban is certainly lenient if recent precedent in the northern hemisphere is anything to go by.

Four British or Irish international players have been banned for eye-gouging over the past two years.

The most recent was Munster flanker Alan Quinlan, who lost his place on this Lions tour after 'making contact with the eye area' of Leinster lock Leo Cullen in a Heineken Cup semi-final in May.

Quinlan received a 12-week ban, six less than Northampton's Ireland flanker Neil Best for 'making contact with the eye or eye area' of Wasps flanker James Haskell in a Premiership match last September.

Leicester's Fijian wing Seru Rabeni, who is now at Gloucester, was also banned for 14 weeks in April last year for gouging Saracens hooker Andy Kyriacou.

Another Northampton player, England hooker Dylan Hartley, received a six-month ban after being found guilty on two counts of gouging, also against Wasps, in April 2007, ruling him out of the World Cup later that year.

The Rugby Football Union's chief disciplinary officer, Judge Jeff Blackett, adjudicated in both the Best and Hartley cases, plus another recent incident on behalf of Heineken Cup organisers when Perpignan's Romanian hooker Marius Tincu was banned for 18 weeks after a match against Welsh region the Ospreys.

"Contact with an opponent's eye is a serious offence because of the vulnerability of the area and the risk of permanent injury," Blackett said. "It is often the result of an insidious act and is one of the most abhorred by rugby players."

Part of the problem, as Blackett explained in a newspaper interview at the end of last year, is that 'eye-gouging' is the emotive expression used for all cases, regardless of the actual severity of the offence.

"The offence is actually contact with the eyes and it ranges from a bit of roughing up, where someone rubs their hand in somebody's face, and inadvertently makes contact with the eye. That's at the bottom end.

"At the other end, you have the player who maliciously sticks a finger in somebody's eye. That's eye-gouging, and obviously there's a whole lot of offences in between.

"Whenever there's contact with the eye, people call it eye-gouging; sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't."

Blackett believes there is an "increased incidence" of contact with people's faces and eyes.

Other former players disagree, saying that it has always gone on, and that incidents would be noted and revenge taken later at an appropriate juncture.

Allegations have often surfaced after British teams have played French sides in recent seasons, with Harlequins and Saracens both complaining of eye-gouging after matches against Stade Francais and Bayonne respectively.

Certainly there appears to be something of a culture of "la fourchette" (the fork) in French rugby, if John Daniell's book Rugby Mercenary is to be believed.

Daniell, a New Zealander who played for England Schoolboys and was an Oxford University Blue, played in France from 1997 to 2006 with three clubs - Racing Club de Paris, Perpignan and Montpellier.

Now a journalist, Daniell describes in graphic detail the "the particularly unpleasant feeling of having a dirty fingernail scraping along the back wall of your eye socket".

"In 15 years of rugby New Zealand, I was eye-gouged twice and I remember feeling physically sick that anyone would stoop so low," he wrote. "Within the first month of being in France, I lost count of the number of times it happened...The only thing that matters is getting that bloody finger out of there. You try to hold onto the finger so you can see who the owner is."

Daniell stands out because he also freely admits he twice gouged opponents himself. When he apologised afterwards to one victim, Jean-Michael Gonzalez, the hooker merely shrugged and muttered "c'est le jeu" (that's the game).

It was only in 1999 that the first northern hemisphere player - Colomiers prop Richard Nones - was banned for gouging, receiving a 12-month ban.

But there have been other notable incidents down the years, one of the most blatant in the 1999 World Cup, when a photographer captured a gruesome image of Wales hooker Garin Jenkins having a finger inserted into his left eye against Argentina.

Pumas prop Roberto Grau was cleared of the incident because officials claimed they could not properly identify him, but Grau did receive a nine-week ban at the 2003 World Cup after raking his hand over the face of Ireland hooker Keith Wood.

Another Pumas prop, Mauricio Reggiardo, was also banned after the same match for putting two fingers in the eye of Ireland prop Reggie Corrigan.

While the attention afforded to Burger's crude and calculated act has detracted from a stupendous Test match, it does at least highlight that for all its latent violence, rugby does police itself when the boundaries it draws for itself are crossed.

That said, one former international I spoke to was adamant that it takes a particularly malevolent kind of player to transgress one of rugby's biggest taboos, as Burger did.

"I did a lot of things in my time on a rugby field, but I never even thought about doing that," he said. "Burger deserves everything he gets".

The only question now is whether he got enough.

Whichever word you use to sum up the feeling after an extraordinary second Test against the Springboks in Pretoria, it was a horrible way to lose the series.

The ifs, buts and maybes will be debated for many a year, but the harsh facts remain.

This was a seventh straight Test defeat for the British and Irish Lions since that memorable day in Brisbane, 2001, and now a third consecutive series defeat.

After the last time that happened, from 1977 to 1983, it was to Ian McGeechan the Lions turned for their next venture, to Australia in 1989, the first of his four stints as head coach.

Assuming he doesn't stay on for a fifth, his record will read won two, lost two, which given the odds is pretty impressive.

Not that it provided much consolation on Saturday night in the bowels of Loftus Versfeld stadium, as the emotion of a gut-wrenching defeat remained raw.

You had to feel for McGeechan as he reflected, in his dignified manner, that "you have just got to accept it. How heavily it weighs on you now is something that can't be changed."

That weight of disappointment may grow the more he analyses it, for as captain Paul O'Connell acknowledged, this was "another big opportunity lost".

In a match of savage intensity and brutal collisions, the Lions again rattled the Springboks with the speed and width of their attacks after Schalk Burger's crude early intervention, and should have seen the job through from 19-8 up on the hour.

But when they weren't dishing out the rough stuff or kicking poorly, South Africa also showed their subtle side with the delicious angle JP Pietersen cut for his first-half try and the blistering speed and balance of Bryan Habana's momentum-changing score.

Were the Lions unlucky? Probably. They lost both props to injury by the 45th minute, (Adam Jones as a result of a dangerous charge by Bakkies Botha), and both centres, Brian O'Driscoll and Jamie Roberts, by the 67th, when the Boks comeback was gathering pace.

McGeechan argued that key decisions went against the Lions in both Tests, and he had a point.

If touch judge Bryce Lawrence was sure that Burger had made contact with Luke Fitzgerald's eye, as replays appeared to show, should he not have recommended French referee Christophe Berdos issue a red card, rather than a yellow?

South Africa may be a formidable side, but even they would have struggled to play for 79 minutes with 14 men.

If intent is difficult to assess definitively in the spur of the moment, recourse to video technology does not always provide conclusive evidence.

Amid unbearable tension with six minutes remaining, television match official Stuart Dickinson spent several minutes deliberating every angle before awarding the crucial try from Jaque Fourie that put South Africa in front for the first time.

The replacement centre had done superbly to stretch for the right corner, and there appeared to be no definitive replay which showed whether his foot was in touch or not. In such circumstances perhaps he deserved the benefit of the doubt.

Even the decisive last-gasp penalty seemed more of a clumsy challenge by Ronan O'Gara than a deliberate attempt by the Irishman to take out Fourie du Preez in the air.

But the real pity about Morne Steyn's monumental 53m kick, from a neutral point of view, is we have been denied a 'live' Test in Johannesburg next week that this series deserved on the balance of the first two games.

The Lions may limp into it with it several key players missing, making a second successive 3-0 series whitewash all the more likely, but at least they have demonstrated their whole ethos and tradition is in rude health.

After the dismal 'blackwash' in New Zealand four years ago many questioned the entire viability of future Lions tours in the professional era.

But Saturday was a joyous rebuttal of that notion, proving that a team moulded together from four countries in the space of five weeks could still be competitive against the southern hemisphere giants, giving us one of the great Test matches in the process.

A Lions series win remains a rare beast. There have been only four - in 1971, 1974, 1989 and 1997 - in the previous 16 full series they have played since 1950.

So McGeechan took solace in two "outstanding" performances that have brought "a lot of credibility back to the Lions" after the folly of Sir Clive Woodward's overblown operation in New Zealand.

"No-one actually thought we were going to be competitive," McGeechan noted. "But we have been more than that. In both games we have been winners in a lot of respects."

Maybe, but unfortunately for the Lions and their marvellous fans, not on the scoreboard.

So despite saying he "didn't want to make too many changes", Lions head coach Ian McGeechan has made five to his starting line-up for the second Test against the Springboks in Pretoria.

One of them was enforced with full-back Lee Byrne ruled out injured, but the four others were all done for specific "technical and tactical" reasons with the aim of squaring the series at Loftus Versfeld.

It doesn't compare with the way Sir Clive Woodward ripped up his original plan and made 11 changes, four positional, after the disastrous first Test in New Zealand four years ago.

But McGeechan has been here before. In 1989 in Australia, the only time the Lions have come behind to win a series, he also shook things up with five changes after losing the first Test in Sydney.

Jeremy Guscott (JG) was one of those brought in for the second Test in Brisbane, and responded with a superb match-clinching try in the decisive minutes.

I spoke to the England and Lions legend this afternoon to discuss how the Lions' team changes might affect the outcome this Saturday.

Last week the Boks' starting pack weighed in at a combined 885kg, while the Lions eight weighed 876kg, with hooker Lee Mears giving away 16kg to his opposite number Bismarck du Plessis.

This Saturday, with the addition of Adam Jones (127kg/20stone) at tight-head, Matthew Rees (108kg/17stone) at hooker and Simon Shaw (123kg/19st 6lb) at lock, the Lions' total weight of 903kg will see them top South Africa's (895kg with the addition of Schalk Burger).

JG: "I think everyone knew what was coming in the front row. From what I hear Adam Jones has got himself really fit over the last couple of years and is one of the un-sung heroes in the Welsh team. He has worked away and deserves his spot.

I am a little worried about Matthew Rees. In that first tour game against the Royal XV at altitude I felt he really suffered and didn't look fit. Nothing was happening for him physically, but when he came on in the second half last week he made some big dents and carried the ball well. Hopefully he will continue where he left off."

IN THE ENGINE ROOM:

After being told by forwards coach Warren Gatland he played "crap" in the tour opener against the Royal XV, Simon Shaw, 36 on 1 September, will write another chapter in the 18th year of his remarkable career by making his Lions Test debut, in his 18th match as a Lion, having also toured in 1997 and 2005.

Shaw, who takes over from Welshman Alun-Wyn Jones alongside captain Paul O'Connell, is only seven months younger than the oldest Test Lion Neil Back, who played against New Zealand in 2005 at 36 years and 5 months.

JG: "I think Shawsy's there because of his experience, his movement around the park and his ball carrying in particular. It is well deserved. He is experienced enough to know what is required and he will deliver it, I am confident of that.

Alun-Wyn Jones had an opportunity last week but wasn't forceful enough. He didn't take control of any situation really. It is not surprising, he is only 23, but some players of that nature make their names on Lions tours. I remember Martin Johnson coming out as a replacement in 1993 and you thought he had been there for the whole tour."

WINGING IT:

Ugo Monye's failure to take either of the two try-scoring chances that came his way in the first Test has cost him his place, with Irishman Luke Fitzgerald, 21, taking over on the left wing, and Shane Williams coming onto the bench.

JG: "Monye has just been taught a harsh lesson. He got two opportunities that you would expect him to put away and he didn't. He has learnt so much in the last 18 months but I don't like the way he dives before the line on hard grounds, because the ball can bounce out of your grasp. You want to really go beyond the line and be explosive through it.

I think Fitzgerald is going to be an Irish sensation over the next seven or eight years. We can just enjoy watching him play because he will go from strength to strength. He is a great footballer; his footwork, speed and reading of the game are very good, he plays what he sees in front of him and he knows how to react."

AT THE BACK:

Rob Kearney, who replaced the injured Byrne just before half-time in the first Test, gets his first Lions Test start at full-back.

JG: "Kearney carried the ball and kicked well when he came on last week. He did nothing outstanding, but nothing wrong. I saw him play for Ireland against France this year and he came into the line in attack very well, and that he is the kind of performance he has to deliver on Saturday.

With the amount of ball he will be fielding on Saturday, that first kick return has to be a good 50 or 60m to put them under a bit of pressure. The Lions have to weigh up how much kicking they do and how much ball they run back, because if we give them penalties at the breakdown, Ruan Pienaar or Morne Steyn will kick them."

MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCY:

JG: "This is how reputations are made and lost. You have got Warren Gatland and Graham Rowntree there as forwards coaches, and they will have had a say in who goes out onto the field, but ultimately Ian McGeechan picks the side.

When Phil Vickery was clearly in trouble in the scrum last week, the management have to know what is going on. Rowntree is the scrum coach and should have known "The Beast" was getting the better of him.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but why did it take them so long to do something about it? They picked the side on form, but they were just too slow to react."

WHAT ABOUT THE ALTITUDE?

South Africa have won their last nine Tests in Johannesburg (four), Pretoria (two), Bloemfontein (two) and Rustenburg (one). Their last defeat at altitude was in Pretoria in August 2006, a 45-26 thumping by the All Blacks when nine out of Saturday's 22 experienced a disgruntled Loftus crowd booing the Boks with 25 minutes to go.

Lions captain Paul O'Connell says his side are "quite confident of managing it".

"There is definitely a little something there at altitude, and there is no point telling yourself it is all in the mind, but it is not something to be overly worried about," he said. "You just have to dig deep when the burn comes on towards the end.

"We had plenty of action under our belts in training and matches in the first few weeks of the tour, and are very happy with the way we have prepared for it."

SO CAN THE LIONS WIN?

The Lions have lost their last six Tests in Australia (two), New Zealand (three) and now South Africa, and defeat on Saturday would signal a third straight series defeat.

JG: "I am optimistic. I am convinced the Boks will play the same way and I believe we will create as many, if not more, try-scoring opportunities.

South Africa are so comfortable with their tactics, they kick and chase and are only prepared to play in the last 30 yards of the pitch. They leave the other team to do the work, put pressure on them and then capitalise on their mistakes. You can't blame them, but if they opened up a bit they would be a seriously good team, and they are not bad as it is.

We need to sort out defending the rolling maul otherwise we are not going to see enough of the ball. Our scrum will be better and our line-out will have to be better.

But my gut feeling is the Lions are going to win. I said they would win by seven-to-10 points last week but I am going to go the same way this time.

These tours are not easy, and I have spoken to people in the squad who say what a great time they are having. But a Test win would make it a whole lot better."

(PS Remember if you want more regular updates on what's going on in SA, you can follow my Twitter feeds)

The Lions have embraced most of the challenges they have encountered on this South Africa tour head on.

The on-field ones might have escalated this week, but away from the rugby there remains one that no squad member fancies, despite encouragement from the coaches.

Forwards coach Warren Gatland and defence guru Shaun Edwards have both offered tempting bets to any player who can 'bring down' the squad's physical conditioner Paul Stridgeon, a former freestyle wrestler who competed for England at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

This may have something to what happened to the Lions' assistant forwards coach Graham Rowntree, the former Leicester and England prop, when Stridgeon started working for the Rugby Football Union last summer.

"Graham took on the challenge when I first started with England, and I killed him in front of all the lads," he recalled. "They enjoyed that."

Other front-row titans such as ex-All Black Craig Dowd, the former Wasps forwards coach, and Phil Vickery have also tried their luck before, without success.

"Warren and Shaun keep trying to get the players to have a go. We've been offering them good odds, minimum bet £200. I've thrown down the gauntlet and a few fancy their chances, but no-one has accepted yet. It's disappointing."

Stridgeon, 29 on Sunday, is not one for bemoaning his lot though, far from it.

Nicknamed "Bobby", amongst other things, after the Adam Sandler character in a 1998 film "The Water Boy", his energy, enthusiasm and sense of fun have made him a popular figure among the entire squad.

"He is the perfect bloke to have on tour," says Scotland hooker Ross Ford. "He's a livewire, always bouncing about, up to mischief, getting the boys in trouble. He keeps everybody going, there is never a dull moment."

One of Stridgeon's party tricks is being able to clamber up any pole or road sign and hold himself out parallel to the floor, with his feet in the air.

"He tries to break it out wherever possible to impress the boys," notes Ford, sounding suitably impressed.

Joe Worsley, who remembers Stridgeon as "an absolute legend" during his five years at Wasps, stresses his character merely underlines his professionalism.

"I didn't realise how much I missed him until this tour," said the England flanker. "But he is not just good craic, he also knows his stuff. On the professional side of things, he is brilliant, always saying the right things."

Every morning before breakfast, Stridgeon and the Lions' Head of Physical Conditioning, Craig White, check the weight of every player, and ask them three questions: 1) How they slept, 2) What their energy levels are like, and 3) How sore their muscles are.

"They give us a score from one to five for each one, one being bad, five being good, it all goes into the computer and we monitor it," Stridgeon explains. "If the scores fall gradually or someone reports a couple of twos, we can flag things up."

The sprightly duo supervise gym and pool sessions, as well as the physical side at training, and attend to each player's individual needs depending on their post-match recovery, response to injuries and readiness for matches.

Each evening at 9pm he and White meet with the squad's two doctors, James Robson and Gary O'Driscoll, and three physios - Prav Mathema, Phil Pask and Bob Stewart, plus masseur Richard Wegrzyk - to discuss player issues and plan for the next day.

"It is tough, hard work, a case of making sure no-one slips through the net," says Stridgeon, who shows no signs of slowing down with the finish line in sight.

"It is just my natural persona," he says. "It is a long old tour to be sat there being miserable isn't it? You need a bit of banter and I feel as a conditioner I have got to be the one to pick the boys up when they are down. You have to be an energiser, and I think that is partly why I was brought on this trip. Craig is the same."

The two go back a long way.

Stridgeon, 29 on Sunday, got into wrestling when he went along with his grandfather to Riley's gym in Wigan at the age of six, and started competing as 10-year-old.

From the age of 12, his weights programme was looked after by White, another Wiganer held in the highest regard after his work with the Irish Rugby Union, Wasps, Leicester, the 2005 Lions and now the Welsh Rugby Union.

Stridgeon completed a sports science degree and then concentrated on wrestling full-time for a year, with the aid of Lottery funding, leading up to the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, where he competed in the 60kg freestyle category.

Once it was over though he opted to leave the sport, accepting an offer from White, who was joining Wasps, to become his assistant.

"I could have carried on wrestling, skimping and saving for a living, but it was just too good an opportunity," Stridgeon said.

He spent five years at Wasps, playing a key role alongside White in keeping the squad fresh enough to peak for the end-of-season Premiership play-offs. Three successive titles under Warren Gatland, plus the Heineken Cup in 2004, were their rewards.

When White moved on to Leicester, Stridgeon spent nine months working with Warrington rugby league club before joining the RFU last year, working with members of England's elite player squads.

Just as Ian McGeechan is fond of pointing out how certain players prosper in the Lions environment, the same appears to apply within their management team.

"We are very busy and don't have much time for other stuff but work is enjoyable enough for me," Stridgeon adds.

"It is a really special thing to be part of, a great bunch of lads, great group of coaches, awesome. I have really enjoyed it.

"It has been all I hoped for and more, and reminds you how lucky you are. I keep saying to everyone, 'we are living the dream, because we are'.

The mantra stays the same, even if the odds have shortened even further in the Springboks' favour.

Ian McGeechan conceded today that coaching-wise, South Africa have a distinct advantage this week in not having to concern themselves with a Tuesday match in between the critical first and second Tests.

But despite anticipating a full-on fixture with the feel of a 'fourth Test' against the Emerging Springboks at Newlands, the Lions head coach has not let Saturday's events disturb his perennially sunny disposition.

Grey skies and intermittent drizzle have descended on Cape Town since the tourists' return, but the outlook according to 'Geech' remains bright.

"This is as good as a squad atmosphere as I have experienced on a Lions tour, and this time - the last two weeks - is when you see the real benefits of that," he said on Monday. "I am sure the reaction [to the first Test defeat] is partly because of that dynamic. It has been hugely positive and all that groundwork comes into play now."

As the man who steered the 'Midweek Massive' to an unbeaten record in New Zealand four years ago amid the carnage of the Test team's efforts, he is well placed to judge the difference in mood and momentum.

The first Test may have been a "massive" missed opportunity as McGeechan acknowledged, with technical flaws exposed in the scrum, line-out, maul and finishing areas, but the series is not lost yet.

So McGeechan regards Tuesday as an opportunity to extend his selection options for Saturday's second Test in Pretoria, rather than an unwanted inconvenience.

The absence of Adam Jones and Matthew Rees from Tuesday's 22 confirms they will almost certainly be starting in the front row at Loftus Versfeld.

With the coaches hoping Andrew Sheridan will be fit to resume training on Thursday after the back trouble which ruled him out of first Test contention, the big Englishman could also come into the shake-up, perhaps as a replacement.

Phil Vickery's presence on the bench is less to do with any personal rehabilitation after his distress in Durban, but more to the Lions' lack of remaining options.

With Sheridan still unfit and Euan Murray invalided out of the tour, Tim Payne's arrival at training in jeans and T-shirt, having come straight off the plane with no time to collect any kit, illustrated how short-term preparation for this game has been.

The other replacement prop John Hayes may have been in camp since Saturday but has not played for more than six weeks, so their combination with hooker Ross Ford can hardly be expected to be operating at perfect pitch.

Simon Shaw's absence from the starting XV could be interpreted as a sign that his 6ft 8in,19st 6lb frame is being preserved for Saturday if the Lions opt for greater grunt to counteract Bakkies Botha in the second-row battle.

Then again, a big performances from Nathan Hines, back in his best position of lock, could also bring the naturalised Aussie into contention.

Likewise in the back row, strong outings from open-side Martyn Williams and number eight Andy Powell could yet force a change of thinking.

In the backs, some sharp service from Harry Ellis might just test the theory that Mike Phillips is untouchable at scrum-half, while it is reasonable to assume James Hook will get at least 20 minutes off the bench to prove he remains a Test contender.

Likewise if either Shane Williams or Luke Fitzgerald show signs of try-scoring form, the number 11 jersey seems far from secure around Ugo Monye's shoulders.

For some of these 2009 Lions, Tuesday will be the last time they pull on the famous red jersey. But the urge to prove they merit more time in it should be motivation enough.

(PS If you want more up-to-the-minute chat on life with the Lions in SA, you can follow my Twitter feed from now on...)

"You take whatever you can get in this game," said a beaming Springboks coach Peter de Villiers as he contemplated a 26-21 victory over the Lions in Saturday's first Test.

He had the look of a man who knew his side had survived an almighty scare, but was content in the knowledge they were unlikely to be as careless next time.

Make no mistake, this was an opportunity missed by the Lions, and the concern must be that there is no guarantee it will come knocking again next week.

Ugo Monye, twice, and Mike Phillips came agonisingly close to claiming further scores. If those had materialised, the Lions would be celebrating a famous victory.

Not many teams, especially ones assembled in the space of four weeks, come to South Africa and rattle the Springboks with their attacking verve to this extent.

Some of the match statistics told the story, but not all of it. Five clean line breaks from the Lions, none for the Boks. The tourists enjoyed 56% of the possession, made the hosts make 90 tackles, compared to their 33, and got over the advantage line 32 times compared to nine for South Africa.

Unfortunately for the Lions, other details were not so favourable. They lost three of their own line-outs, two of their own scrums, and the penalty count went against them 13-12, seven of those conceded in the first half.

Five of them were awarded for scrum infringements, most against Lions tight-head prop Phil Vickery.

The 33-year-old has thrown his battered body into thousands of scrums over a long and successful career, but he clearly couldn't fathom what New Zealand referee Bryce Lawrence believed he was supposed to be doing against the Springboks' "Beast" of a prop Tendai Mtawarira.

"Bryce said that Phil was constantly boring in," explained captain Paul O'Connell. "I didn't think so but it is hard to see. Phil is a very experienced player and how he was seen to be making the same mistake four or five times in a row is beyond me.

"You can understand a guy giving away one or two penalties but every time he just seemed to be reffing us and not them."

Strong words, but whether action will follow is highly unlikely.

Ian McGeechan will take the matter up with International Rugby Board referees chief Paddy O'Brien as part of the official protocol before next week's second Test, in an attempt to seek clarification on the issue.

But even if O'Brien decides Lawrence's interpretation was incorrect, or unfavourable towards one team, the damage has been done.

The pity is that the refereeing issue clouded an otherwise brilliant occasion and spell-binding contest, that while uneven for the first half, burst into glorious life in the second.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the moment we've been waiting for since 1997," announced the stadium PA as Boks captain John Smit led his side out to a raucous reception, while O'Connell gathered his players into a huddle on the pitch.

Shamefully for the organisers, there were nearly 4,000 empty seats in the sun-lit amphitheatre, but the red shirts massed at both ends and in the giant East stand should have been a reassuring presence for the Lions.

But they had precious little to shout about for the opening quarter as Jones missed two penalties, Monye's first effort was ruled out by the video referee and the Boks plundered a try and two penalties to take a 13-0 lead.

Tom Croft's try offered encouragement but at 19-7 at half-time, and 26-7 six minutes into the second period, those Lions supporters must have feared the worse.

That the Springboks remained scoreless for the final 34 minutes, and the tourists almost engineered one of the great comebacks with some stirring rugby, means they will travel to Pretoria next Saturday with hope, if not confidence.

The Lions have only once recovered from losing the first Test of a series to win it, in Australia 20 years ago.

That was McGeechan's first tour as head coach, but the odds against him adding a third Lions triumph to his CV, after also guiding the 1997 tourists to victory here, are now a whole lot longer.

He understandably took great encouragement from his side's attacking fluency, praising them for some "outstanding" rugby at times.

Both he and O'Connell maintained belief was still strong, and it will need to be.

For while the Lions can certainly give fewer penalties away next week, it would be a surprise if they can create as many try-scoring opportunities at Loftus Versfeld, the home of Super 14 champions the Bulls.

If you are looking for omens though, the Lions have won three of their four Tests in Pretoria since the Second World War, in 1955, 1974 and 1980, and McGeechan has never lost a second Test as either a Lions player or coach.

"We know the Lions won't lie down, they will come back twice as strong after that," said Springboks captain John Smit, whose return to the field for the final three minutes - to "calm the ship" as he put it - provided timely leadership when his side most needed it.

"As much as the advantage lies with us, both teams are going to be fighting next week - one to finish it, one to survive - so the pressure will probably be twice as big."

That's an awful lot of pressure. Can the Lions handle it, or have they already self-destructed?