British and Irish Lions: 'Lions loss rather than Springboks win', says Rob Kearney
Former British and Irish Lions full-back Rob Kearney said the current side will be "full of regret" after losing the deciding Test against South Africa.and Kearney said the tourists lost the game as "opposed to the Springboks winning it".
With the game poised at 16-16, the Springboks were awarded a late penalty, which Herschel Jantjies decided to take quickly. "You know it's not going to be easy going away and playing the world champions," said Gatland. "It could have gone any way and our congratulations go to South Africa. "We talked about moving the ball and the ball went through his [Russell's] hands a lot," said Gatland.
It was Gatland's first series defeat as a Lions coach but the Kiwi was non-committal over whether he would return to lead the 2025 tour to Australia. "I'll be honest, I was sitting with my head between my legs, I didn't see the penalty," Nienaber said. "I'm happy for him in terms of having the opportunity to play again. It's a fairytale 12 years on."
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