They do not come much more tense than this. Nor, from a British & Irish Lions perspective, do they come any more gut-wrenching. For the second time this century South Africa have clinched a Lions series by the tiniest of margins via the boot of Morné Steyn, who popped up with a penalty goal in the 79th minute to break the tourists’ hearts, just as he did in Pretoria in 2009. What a crushing disappointment for them, what a desperate sense of deja vu. At least it was a compelling finale to restore neutral faith in rugby at the end of a fractious series. The momentum swung repeatedly in one direction and then the other after Cheslin Kolbe’s 56th-minute try had threatened to kill the contest. The Lions replacement fly-half, Finn Russell, kicked a magnificent 45-metre penalty to tie up the scores at 13-13, only for the dead-eyed Steyn to nudge his team back in front again. Russell levelled the score once more but his opposite number, not for the first time, was working to a different, barely believable script. From the Lions there was bravery and skill aplenty; only once their influential loosehead prop, Wyn Jones, departed the fray in the 43rd minute did the Springboks start to attain even a semblance of set-piece stability. The margins, though, were tiny. The TMO took a long, long look at the build-up to Kolbe’s score, with the ball having cannoned off Jasper Wiese from Ali Price’s box kick. The decision was that it had gone upwards rather than forwards with no compelling evidence to rule out the try. In the final analysis, though, the Lions will know they had enough chances to grasp destiny themselves, having led 10-6 at half-time without capitalising on their initial dominance. Nor can they claim they have had the rough end of the scheduling stick. Even three successive Tests at sea level, however, could not prevent the world champions from repeating their 2-1 series margin of 12 years ago. At the end of such a long, punishing season it was a fraught occasion right from the outset. The pre-match mist that had obscured the Western Cape coastline and distant Robben Island earlier in the day had cleared but it was swiftly replaced by an immediate injury cloud for the visitors. Eleven minutes had elapsed when a limping Dan Biggar, having already seen a penalty attempt fly narrowly wide, was helped off with a shin injury and replaced by Russell. At a stroke the dynamics of the game were altered. Russell is a player who makes things happen and his impact was almost immediate. A clever cross-kick allowed Josh Adams to make good ground and, soon enough, he was slotting a cool penalty goal after the Lions front row had forced a scrum penalty. Even better was to follow for the visitors after 16 minutes. A deft lineout take from Maro Itoje set up a driven maul and, in a striking reversal of last week’s balance of power, the Lions pack surged unstoppably over the line with Ken Owens, making his first Lions Test start, claiming the score. With Biggar not around, could Russell add the extras? Silly question. The Racing 92 fly-half knocked over the conversion with languid insouciance and, at 10-3, the Lions were suitably encouraged. With a touch more composure they could easily have had two or three more tries, most obviously when Tom Curry was frustratingly penalised as another maul was inching ominously towards the Springbok line. Had Liam Williams put the unmarked Adams away wide on the right instead of going himself it would have heaped further pressure on a Boks side who were rapidly realising they were up against a very different breed of Lions side. Had a lineout throw to Alun Wyn Jones not been stolen 10 metres from the hosts’ line, the Lions could conceivably have gone in at the interval with a double-digit lead. South Africa were also relieved when the TMO ruled that Wiese had not committed an act of foul play when he charged into a ruck and struck Wyn Jones a painful blow in the back. The half-time stats, though, were stark: 74% territory and 69% possession in the Lions’ favour. The only nagging doubt in the visiting camp was that they should have come away with more points to show for all their energy and hard work. How would the Springboks respond? There is something of the Heston Blumenthals about their head coach, Jacques Nienaber: studious and detail-minded, he looks as if he would be handy with a kitchen blowtorch. Some on-field fire and brimstone in the second half was a certainty, even in the absence of any supporters to fan the flames. It duly materialised. Kolbe’s try and Handré Pollard’s conversion put their side ahead for the first time in the game, only for Russell and Steyn to take it in turns to settle fraying home nerves before the final, galling kick in the visitors’ solar plexus. The 37-year-old Steyn has been around the block many times and was supposed to play second fiddle to Pollard after a five-year absence from the international game; fate, though, had other ideas. By the time the next Lions squad reaches Australia in 2025 their disappointment may have eased slightly but the pain of this outcome will not fade for a while.