The British and Irish Lions suffered a heartbreaking 28-25 defeat in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon - a game which, in the words of their coach Ian McGeechan, 'they should have gone on to win.'

The Lions produced a fantastic first half of rugby to lead the Boks 16-8 at the break but, to the credit of South Africa, the Springboks stormed back into the game after the interval and won it all with the last kick before the final whistle.

Full of heart and determination, the Lions once again played some very impressive rugby - stringing together a number of phases - but were never able put the game beyond doubt and were ultimately reeled in by John Smit's relentless World Champions.

Rob Kearney, Brian O'Driscoll, Simon Shaw - a number of players put their hands up to be counted in the second test but it was just not meant to be for the Lions of 2009 - they now trail 2-0 in the best of three series.

Pete Murison rates all the British and Irish Lions players...

British and Irish Lions:

15 Rob Kearney:
Along with Simon Shaw, he was probably his teams best player. Hugely impressive under the high ball and was excellent with both his kicking and counter attacking from the back. Did well to claim his try and put the Lions on the front foot. 9/10

14 Tommy Bowe:
Mr Reliable Bowe had another decent showing, particularly on defence, but would have liked more opportunities with the ball in hand. 6/10

13 Brian O'Driscoll:
'Bring it on' - the moment you saw his confrontation with Victor Matfield in the early minutes you knew he was up for it. Very clever kicking game and impressives handling. Was a huge blow for his team when he was forced off the pitch. 8/10

12 Jamie Roberts:
Didn't have as much success as the previous weekend but that certainly didn't stop him trying. Still gets over the advantage line at will. 7/10

11 Luke Fitzgerald
Started very well but was at blame for the JP Pietersen try - caught ball watching. Useful left boot at the back and made the best use he probably could of his limited opportunities. 6/10

10 Stephen Jones:
Fantastic off-load to create the Kearney try and an excellent goal kicking display under pressure. All-in-all a very solid performance from the Welsh No.10. 7/10

9 Mike Phillips:
Some dangerous half breaks around the side of the rucks and a good quality of service for his halfback partner. Showed good length on his kicks from the base of the ruck as well - clearly a tactic they had worked hard on. 7/10

8 Jamie Heaslip:
A strong performance in the first half - carried strongly and helped give his side valuable go forward ball. Just faded in the second half as the Springboks came back into it. 6/10

7 David Wallace:
An excellent performance from the flank. Strong ball carrier and a real thorn in the sides of the Springboks at the breakdown. 8/10

6 Tom Croft
Very quiet in the second half but put in a big effort in the second period - particularly on defence - as the home side started to dominate possession and territory. 6/10

5 Paul O'Connell (captain):
The captain was the picture of determination during the 80 minutes. Two big steals and incredibly hard working at the breakdown - faded as the game entered the final 20 minutes, much like the Lions as a whole. 6/10

4 Simon Shaw:
An inspired pick from coach Ian McGeechan - Shaw can feel incredibly proud of the effort he put in. Yes he was guilty of a couple of high tackles but his tackle count itself was unbelievable for a man of 35 years old. Impressive lineout work along with powerful ball carring saw him pick up the official Man-of-the-match award. 9/10

3 Adam Jones:
An impressive showing from the 'Hair bear' before injury put him out of the game. Dominated Mtawarira at the scrum and made a number of important tackles. 7/10

2 Matthew Rees:
A couple of skew throws at the lineout were costly but generally a good day's work from Rees. Incredibly physical, he took the battle to the powerful Springbok tight five. 6/10

1 Gethin Jenkins:
Secure at scrum time but it is his work around the pitch that is so impressive. Carrying the ball, making tackles - a strong day's work from the Welshmen, pity it ended early. 7/10

Replacements:

16 Ross Ford:
Not enough time to be rated.

17 Andrew Sheridan: (Blood Bin for Gethin enkins 25min) (On for Jenkins on 45 minutes)
Will be furious that the game went to uncontested scrums but certainly put himself about the pitch during his time. Always up for a confrontation, Sheridan was also a regular ball carrier for the Lions. 6/10

18 Alun Wyn Jones: (On for Adam Jones on 46 minutes.)
Probably didn't have the impact he would have liked. Willing runner and hard worker but no genuine impact to speak of. 5/10

19 Martyn Williams: (On for Wallace on 68 minutes.)
Scrambled for his life but could have little effect with the Springboks firing. 6/10

20 Harry Ellis
Not enough time to be rated.

21 Ronan O'Gara: (On for Roberts on 68 minutes.)
A legend of Irish rugby but he will want to quickly forget Saturday. Not only did he take a big knock to the head, he missed the tackle on Jaque Fourie for the Springboks final try and then gave away the penalty which Morne Steyn converted to win the game. 2/10

22 Shane Williams: (On for O'Driscoll on 64 minutes.)
Tried to spark some magic but very little luck. Took one big hit and, with the hosts dominating possession late in the game, failed to make an impact. 5/10

What do you think? Do you agree with Peter? Let us know...