Tourists 10/3 to finish with a flourish
Despite winning their first six matches of a lengthy tour, the British and Irish Lions’ adventure in South Africa will ultimately be regarded as a failure. Indeed, if they are to avoid being cruelly bracketed with their predecessors of 2005 (who were beaten 3-0 in New Zealand), they must somehow conjure a victory in Johannesburg on Saturday. Some would argue that they have a decent chance, having run the Springboks close in Pretoria and facing a side who might lack motivation after sewing up the series last weekend. However, Paddy Power don’t think much of their chances, going 10/3 that the Lions come away with a consolation victory.
Why are the tourists such a big price, considering they were a whisker away from drawing the 2nd Test before Morne Steyn’s last-gasp penalty cemented the series for South Africa? It might have something to do with the fact that they’re walking wounded, with Brian O’Driscoll once again missing out on a key Lions match. The Irish centre was the victim of a spear tackle four years ago which saw him miss the best part of three tests against the Kiwis, and he’s not recovered from the concussion sustained during Saturday’s physical match. Forwards Adam Jones and Gethin Jenkins will also miss out, while Tommy Bowe and Jamie Roberts are struggling to be fit. On this basis, the Springboks are likely to be popular at 2/7 (bet365), despite the fact that they’re without suspended pair Schalk Burger and Bakkies Botha.
While Ian McGeechan might claim that morale continues to be high within the visitors’ camp, this could be a comfortable win for the hosts and Stan James’ 10/11 about them with a nine-point deficit looks interesting. After all, they will be up against a team who have been on the road for several weeks and might have one eye on returning home. Bet365 offer 4/7 that Peter De Villiers’ team lead at half-time and full-time, something that the Lions will be keen to avoid happening, especially after the South Africa coach’s controversial comments following Burger’s eye-gouging offence. Betfair offer 7/5 that the first try of the game is scored within the opening ten minutes, with 6/4 available on the exchange that it’s scored between 11 and 20 instead.