South Africa vs. British and Irish Lions 3rd Test – Saturday 7 August 18:00
South Africa vs. British and Irish Lions 3rd Test – Saturday 7 August 18:00

South Africa vs. British and Irish Lions 3rd Test – Saturday 7 August 18:00

After a dominating performance by the Boks last week we are all square and we could not have asked for a better end to the series.

South Africa

Nienaber is keeping things steady and sticking with his forward pack from last week with a couple of exceptions. De Jager had a massive impact off the bench last week and deservedly gets the start alongside Etzebeth. With his excellent line-out execution and ball handling the inclusion of the Free Stater in the second row adds some serious value to the pack. Mostert joins Kolisi on the flank in place of the injured Peter-Steph. Last week the captain defended like a man possessed and I expect another big performance from him.

The big story for the Boks is that Faf is out of the final test and will be replaced by Rienach. Love him or hate him, his knack to create trouble for the Lions attack and his box kicking abilities will be sorely missed on Saturday. However, Rienach has a strong running game and did play alongside Pollard in France for a while, a combination that could prove valuable to the Boks. De Allende and Am where phenomenal in the midfield last week and continue to grow as a combination With his try last week, the number 13 proved that he is not just a strong defender, but also a great link-up man. Mapimpi and Kolbe are back at wing, while Le Roux slots in at fullback. 

The bench will stay the same as last week with the exception of Morne Steyn being included as one extra backline option. What a fairytale ending it would be to the series if Monnas can kick a last minute penalty just like he did in 2009!

Lions

The visitors have made quite a few more changes for this one. Wynn Jones and Owens are back in the starting front row and are the only changes up front. After sitting out the first two tests I expect nothing less than a solid performance from the loosehead prop who had an excellent game against South Africa A. Owens was not the greatest at lineouts after coming on last week and I have my doubts that he is the right option at number two for the visitors. 

Dan Biggar gets another crack at flyhalf and will hopefully be able to create a more expansive game than what he did last week alongside Ali Price who comes in to replace Connor Murray.  Renshaw shifts to outside centre to make way for Irishman Aki. who hopes to combat the physical presence of De Allende. 

The Lions’ back three really struggled under the high balls last week and Josh Adams and Liam Williams have been brought in with the hopes of giving the visitors more security at the back. If the changes work out for Gatland’s men then I see them leaking fewer points and they game being considerably closer than last week.
 

The likes of Simmonds, Russell and Daily have been brought onto the bench amongst others which has left Gatland with plenty of options depending on how the match plays out. 

Prediction

Although the Springboks blew the visitors out the park last week I expect this one to be much closer. With Faf missing for the Boks it should be less of a territorial kicking game which also means less pressure on the Lions’ back row. However, the pressure will still be on up front and the Boks’ forward pack is certainly stronger. The number of changes in the Lions backline will also be very disruptive for them and this can only impact their game negatively against a very solid Springbok backline. I expect the Lions to put in a better performance than last week but the Springboks will still prove to be too strong, take the match and cover the handicap.

BetOlimp Best Bets
South Africa -2.5 – 1.81
South Africa 1-7 – 2.80
Anytime Tryscorer: Lukhanyo Am – 6.50

 

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