Clean sweep fears should ensure feisty final Lions test

By Ken Borland

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa will seek to complete their first series clean sweep in 118 years of matches against the British and Irish Lions when the teams meet for the third and final test at Ellis Park on Saturday (2:00 p.m. British time).

Last Saturday's last-minute 28-25 victory gave the world champion Springboks an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series and earned revenge for their 2-1 series defeat in 1997.

On that occasion the Lions won the first two games but the Springboks took the third -- also at Ellis Park.

Saturday's game will have to go some to reach the levels of last week's classic in Pretoria and, with the series won and changes galore in both sides, there is an inevitable dead rubber feeling about the event.

South Africa have made 10 changes from last week and the Lions seven -- a response to injuries, suspensions and, in the hosts' case, the chance to experiment ahead of the Tri-Nations.

The Lions are desperate to avoid a second successive 3-0 defeat having been swept aside in New Zealand in 2005. They are already on a run of seven successive test defeats, their worst ever, and coach Ian McGeechan does not want to end his 35-year association with the combined team on such a low.

"We certainly don't want to go back on the way we've been playing, or on our approach and attitude. If we get enough right, we hope we will be in there with a shot of winning the game," he said.

"We've got a new challenge. Those players are very keen they show their own capabilities and I am very encouraged by just what they've done in training this week. If we play well enough to win, it will be a very sweet victory."