BRIAN O’DRISCOLL was bang on target as he delivered a parting shot on his way out of Africa.

The wounded Lions centre could not hide his disgust over the claims of Springbok coach Peter de Villiers that eye gouging was ‘part of the game’.

Ireland captain O’Driscoll, ruled out of Saturday’s final Test with concussion, was adamant Schalk Burger should had been red-carded for eye-gouging Lions winger Luke Fitzgerald.

And he took a swipe at De Villiers for defending the banned flanker.

“I am semi-appalled that a player that clearly gouged another player was simply given a yellow card and subsequently an eight-week ban, which I find mind-boggling,” O’Driscoll blasted. “It was one thing being semi-baffled by what the referee decided upon... but to hear the South African coach talk about gouging being part of the game was semi-repulsive. I can’t be adamant enough about that."

De Villiers and Oregan Hoskins, the South African Rugby Union president, subsequently condemned all acts of foul play.

But that cut no ice with O’Driscoll, who believes De Villiers’ comments were “essentially bringing the game into disrepute”.

“We are trying to promote the game and yet you hear comments like that. I just find it appalling. I truly find it a disgrace,” he said.

“If it (gouging) is not clamped down on, you are going to lose people to the game of rugby and that’s essentially the bigger picture.”

MIKE PHILLIPS is convinced the Lions can end their tour with a win at Ellis Park on Saturday, despite losing O’Driscoll, Adam Jones and Gethin Jenkins.
Dislocated shoulder victim Jones flew home along with a concussed O’Driscoll, with a fractured cheekbone ruling Jenkins out of the final Test.

But scrum-half Phillips says the Lions, who are 2-0 down, have no intention of being whitewashed for a second successive tour, following a
3-0 drubbing in New Zealand four years ago.

“It’s horrible losing in sport, and we have got to deal with that this week,” he said. “You just want to win as a professional player.

“You come out here, it’s legendary stuff, a great opportunity, a chance to fulfil your dreams. It’s all about winning. We can win on Saturday. We have got enough tools to go out there and get the victory, so we will be gunning for it.”