There was heartbreak for Warriors wing Duhan van der Merwe and the British and Irish Lions as South Africa came from being seven points down to clinch a 19-16 win in Cape Town and take the series 2-1.
Van der Merwe helped the Lions into a 10-3 lead in the first half but a failure to turn pressure into points during a 20-minutes period proved costly as South Africa nibbled away at the lead and snatched victory with a 79th minute penalty from replacement fly-half Morne Steyn.
It was Steyn who denied the Lions with a similar last-gasp penalty in 2009 and he repeated the dose having landed his only two kicks after he replaced Handre Pollard.
South Africa took an early lead with a penalty from Pollard and the Lions were forced into a reshuffle when Mike Biggar hobbled off with barely ten minutes on the clock.
Biggar was replaced by Finn Russell at fly-half and the Scot was soon involved as he landed a penalty to level the scores.
Russell then put another penalty into touch five metres from the Springboks’ line and the Lions rumbled hooker Ken Owens over for a try which Russell improved.
Further Lions pressure, including a couple of powerful runs from van der Merwe went unrewarded and instead it was South Africa who ended the half strongly with another Pollard penalty.
Pollard had a chance to reduce the deficit to a point seven minutes into the second-half but he struck the left post with another penalty and the kick bounced out.
Pollard was off target again six minutes later when Russell was penalised for a high tackle, this time the kick falling short of the target.
But South Africa came again, winning the ball back in the air and Willie Le Roux sending Kolbe over. Referee Mathieu Raynal checked with the TMO whether there was a knock-on from South Africa but the try stood and Pollard added the conversion.
The Lions eventually lifted the siege and won a 63rd minute penalty just inside South Africa’s half which Russell banged over to level the scores.
But South Africa were ahead again within three minutes when Steyn, who was brought on for his first international appearance in five years, made a difficult penalty goal look straightforward.
The Lions had an opportunity to pull level again but they opted to put a kickable penalty into the corner and try to muscle their way over. South Africa sacked the lineout and Mako Vunipola was then held up over the line.
Replacement tighthead Kyle Sinckler was then penalised at the resulting five metre scrum but the Lions came again and won another penalty with five minutes to go. This time Russell pointed to the posts and found the target to equalise.
But it was Steyn who had the last word, holding his nerve to find the target with a pressure kick with 90 seconds left on the clock.