All The News

The beastly figure of Springbok prop Tendai Mtawarira might be lurking in the shadows of the imposing stadium previously known as Ellis Park, but veteran England prop forward Phil Vickery is ready to make his British and Irish Lions swan song a memorable one.

Vickery and Mtawarira will come face-to-face in what is the most anticipated rematch of the entire series between the Springboks and the Lions, but the 33-year-old front row forward is not in the least concerned that he might face another mauling as he did in the first Test.

Mtawarira produced a man-of-the-match performance in demolishing the veteran England and Lions prop, who was replaced by Adam Jones after just 44 minutes of the encounter in Durban.

The following week Jones again showed up the young upstart Springbok and now Vickery, taking heart from his Lions teammate's performance, believes he can turn the tables on the Bok prop.

And he wants to ensure the game is a big one for him, as it is his last appearance in a Lions shirt.

His return to the starting XCV comes on the back of Jones being ruled out through a dislocated shoulder.

Vickery told a media gathering at the team's hotel in Johannesburg on Friday that he is looking forward to Saturday's third and final "more than any other game" of his career.

"This is going to be my last match in a Lions jersey," he said, about the reason for attaching so much importance to the fixture.

"It will be good to get back out there, although it is unfortunate for Adam."

Vickery said what happened the last time between him and the Bok prop will have no bearing on Saturday's showdown and he will start the Johannesburg Test with a "clean slate".

"I spoke to Adam about last week [when the Welsh prop overpowered Mtawarira], but that was a different game to the first Test - the first scrum didn't come until the 17th minute," said Vickery.

"Now it is about me and my job. There are different players around me and a different referee, so I'm viewing it as a clean slate.

"What has gone on in the past doesn't count for anything, it's all about what happens on the day. I've been given another opportunity and it's up to me to make the most of it."

Vickery's chances of taking revenge on the young Bok prop were also talked up by Lions forwards coach Warren Gatland and South African skipper John Smit.

Gatland believes the manner in which Jones handled the Springbok scrum showed Vickery that the South Africans are not the all-conquering scrum unit people suggested they were after the first Test.

"Adam didn't think much to the Beast [Mtawarira] at all and Phil has taken confidence from the way Adam scrummaged," said Gatland.

"Phil also has Matthew Rees and Simon Shaw behind him [this week]. Phil is very experienced and in the front row every day in the office is not a great day. But you get back in there."

Mtawarira was also warned by his Bok captain, Smit, that he will be facing a very different 'animal' this time round.

"I have known Phil a long time," Smit told a media gathering at the Bok hotel.

"He is a far greater player than what came out in the first Test. I think he will be as relieved and as excited as anyone to have another crack at the Springboks and certainly at our front row.

"He has done damage to many front rows before and I have already said it to Tendai that there is going to be a completely different person in front of him.

"Tendai needs to be really up for it. Phil is the kind of guy who has been around for a long time so he will have learned a great deal from that first Test."

Vickery said it is also important for the Lions team to produce a winning performance - not just to give him a victorious send-off, but the salvage something from the Test series - which the Boks lead 2-0.

"The devastation of last weekend has made this week particularly long," Vickery said of the 25-28 loss in the second Test.

"This is another great opportunity for us," he said, adding: "I'm looking forward to it tremendously and I want to ensure I go out there and give a performance that is worthy of the Lions jersey.

"We want to make sure that when we go home we can leave each other with some fond memories and feel proud of being a part of this Lions team. I don't think I've ever enjoyed people's company as much as I have done on this tour and it is such a shame we haven't got the results we wanted on the field.

"We don't want to go home having laid down and let the Boks' win the series 3-0 with an easy victory. We have worked hard on this tour and earned a lot of respect - we will leave everything on the field and have no regrets."

By Jan de Koning, in Johannesburg