South Africa
Willie le Roux Some excellent counter-attacking from the full-back as his side strove to hold on to their early advantage. Appeared unfortunate to have a try chalked off early in the second half. 8
Cheslin Kolbe Saw little of the ball but always went looking for activity - though the most memorable single touch of his will be the knock-on that saw the Allende ‘try’ disallowed. 7
Lukhanyo Am Crunching tackle on Daly set the tone for a great first half by the home team. 8
Damian de Allende Gave away an early penalty but compensated with some inspired attacking play. Thought he had scored a potentially decisive try in the last 10 minutes but had it chalked off for an earlier knock-on. 8
Makazole Mapimpi Had to bide his time in the first half as the Springboks employed their narrow kicking, then played a major role in his team’s only try. 7
Handre Pollard The stand-off enjoyed some good runs as well as contributing 12 points with the boot. 8
Faf de Klerk The scrum-half was as dangerous as ever and was well placed to grab a 50th-minute try. 8
Ox Nche Awesome power in the loose complemented his solidity in the scrum. 7
Bongi Mbonambi Contributed well to the control South Africa enjoyed for much of the first half. 7
Trevor Nyakane Worked solidly with his front-row colleagues throughout the first half. 7
Eben Etzebeth A commanding figure on his own ball in the lineout and a constant menace to the Lions. 8
Franco Mostert Outshone by his second-row colleague but also played a significant role in disrupting the Lions lineout. 7
Siya Kolisi The captain still looked a little short of his best after being sidelined with Covid-19, but he had some impressive moments late in the game. 7
Pieter-Steph du Toit His side’s best player for large chunks of the match, though he did give away the late penalty which saw Owen Farrell complete the scoring. 7
Kwagga Smith The unsung member of the Boks pack more than justified his selection with some fine work at the breakdown. 7
Best of the rest
Steven Kitshoff, Malcolm Marx and Frans Malherbe The front-row trio came on for the second half with the task of maintaining their side’s advantage in the power game. They did what they could, but it was not enough. 7
Lions
Stuart Hogg The Scotland captain enjoyed some good moments in attack without really getting a chance to use his devastating power. Had the satisfying task of kicking the ball out to end the match. 8 out of 10
Anthony Watson Had some promising runs as the Lions steadily fought their way back into the game. 8
Elliot Daly Competed well in defence but had his hands full in midfield against Allende and Am. Just short with a 55m penalty attempt. 7
Robbie Henshaw His knock-on ended the Lions’ best break of the first half, but he became more influential in the second. 7
Duhan van der Merwe Was always alert to the threat of Kolbe and looked hungry to get involved. 7
Dan Biggar Contributed 14 points with the boot, only missing one attempt on goal. Stayed off after an HIA. 8
Ali Price The Glasgow scrum-half was as lively in defence as he was in attack, running up an impressive tackle count and linking well with his pack and backs. Played a vital role in early second-half fightback. 8
Rory Sutherland A late call-up for the injured Wyn Jones, the Hawick man fought hard to stem the South African tide in the first half. 7
Luke Cowan-Dickie Had a lot of trouble with his throwing in at the lineout, but kept his cool to score the early second-half try that got his team back into the game. 7
Tadhg Furlong Fought well throughout and lasted longest of the starting front row. 7
Maro Itoje Became more and more influential as the game went on, snaffling ball from the South Africans. 9
Alun Wyn Jones Completed his fairytale recovery from a dislocated shoulder with a fearless display. 8
Courtney Lawes Another Lions forward who grew in stature the longer the contest went on, he was simply outstanding in the loose. 9
Tom Curry Ill disciplined early on but increasingly confident later. 7
Jack Conan An important offensive influence as the Lions got back into contention. 8
Best of the rest
Hamish Watson On for the last 25 minutes and immediately brought his power into play. 7
Mako Vunipola His solidity in the scrum was an important asset as the Lions became dominant. 7
Owen Farrell Scored the last points of the game with a penalty two minutes from time. 7
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