Lions held at the death

The British and Irish Lions were on the receiving end of a dramatic finale against the Emerging Springboks in Cape Town as Willem de Waal tied the match 13-13 with the final kick of the game.

At the end of a match played in horrendous conditions at Newlands, replacement de Waal kept his nerve in torrential rain and landed a magnificent touchline conversion after another substitute, Danwel Demas, had touched down.

His converted try, which stemmed from arguably the game's most flowing move, therefore brought about a result which was no more than the Boks' second string deserved.

The match was predictably full-blooded but the dreadful conditions - combining rain, hail and gale-force winds - did their utmost to ruin it as a contest.

A first-half try by full-back Keith Earls - plus a penalty and conversion from captain Ronan O'Gara - ensured that the Lions' midweek XV remained unbeaten.

Lions head coach Ian McGeechan is now left with a few selection pointers ahead of Saturday's second Test against the Springboks in Pretoria.

Appetite

Winger Luke Fitzgerald starred for the tourists, while number eight Andy Powell showed a strong appetite for battle.

Elsewhere, James Hook - who replaced O'Gara just after half-time - kicked a late penalty and made some assured touches.

Even so, 1-0 down in the three-Test series against the Boks, the result was not the one they would have wanted.

The conditions had an immediate influence and O'Gara produced a howler with his first kick inside four minutes, missing from 20 metres out after failing to gauge the conditions.

He made amends four minutes later, punishing the Emerging Springboks' technical indiscipline, before a blunder by their full-back Zane Kirchner placed the home team in trouble.

Wing Shane Williams charged down his attempted clearance, and after centre Riki Flutey had fallen short of the line, quickly recycled ball allowed Earls to finish impressively.

O'Gara added the extras for a 10-0 lead, but a subsequent hailstorm made conditions nigh on impossible for Boks fly-half Earl Rose as his opening penalty attempt sailed wide.

Despite the conditions, the Lions still managed to impress with ball in hand and Fitzgerald, eager to put pressure on Test choice Ugo Monye, was to the fore.

They were also performing well in defence and midfield - flankers Joe Worsley and Martyn Williams being prominent.

Rose put the first points on the board for the home side with a penalty four minutes before the break, however the Lions were good value for their 10-3 half-time advantage.

Hook replaced O'Gara five minutes into the second period, suggesting the Lions management wanted to closely monitor the Welshman - who suffered concussion last week - before their Test selection.

Fractious

There were also signs of an increasingly fractious forward battle, Lions lock Nathan Hines twice getting to grips with opposition players.

Rose's second successful penalty made it 10-6 and reminded the Lions they still had a lot of work to do.

The Lions needed another score to give them breathing space but a slippery surface and continuing showers made conditions for handling the ball treacherous.

Their opponents continued to make life difficult as they pressed deep inside the Lions' half but, as the showers turn into another downpour, Rose missed another penalty.

The Lions appeared likely to take the win at this stage and, in their efforts to close the game out, a host of substitutions were made in the final quarter.

One player to make an appearance was Phil Vickery, the prop back in action three days after Springboks prop Tendai 'The Beast' Matawarira gave him such a torrid time in the first Test.

But the Emerging Springboks nevertheless had time to launch one final assault and, after Demas dived over, the stage was set for de Waal's last-gasp, nerveless effort.