British and Irish Lions

The London Wasps and England centre played a starring role in Saturday's third Test demolition of the Springboks as the Lions finished their 10-match tour in impressive style.

Flutey put in a superb defensive display at Coca Cola Park as the tourists kept the world champions try-less, while he also set up the Lions' second score of the match for Shane Williams with a fine piece of individual skill.

The 29-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable rise to the top of the British and Irish game having only made his England debut in November of last year and he admits that touring with the Lions more than lived up to expectations.

"It's been fantastic," said Flutey, who became just the second man to play for and against the Lions having appeared for Wellington when the Lions toured his native New Zealand four years ago.

"When people tell me I'm the third Kiwi to put on a Lions Test jersey, I'm very proud of that.

"It's been an amazing tour and to end it with a performance like that on Saturday was just brilliant."

Despite the disappointment of having lost the Test series in Pretoria the previous weekend, the Lions hit back in stunning fashion to record a 28-9 victory in their final tour outing at the old Ellis Park.

Flutey, who replaced the injured Jamie Roberts in midfield, was instrumental in that triumph, gathering his own kick ahead and flicking a delicate try-scoring pass to the ever-alert Williams with 33 minutes on the clock.

"There was a bit of space in behind and I put a little chip in and thought I could re-gather it," added Flutey.

"I didn't even know Shane was there. Obviously, I had a feeling someone was there, got a little tip in and it paid off as we scored underneath the posts.

"The boys were absolutely fantastic. There hadn't been much talk in particular because everybody had been talking throughout the tour - we just thought we needed to walk our talk. What we'd been saying for the last few weeks, we had to put out on to the field.

"We've earned a lot of respect from our fans, from the public here and from the South Africans over the tour. Speaking before the game, we said that we had to put a performance together out there, otherwise all that respect would have gone to waste.

"We'll cherish that day and this tour for the rest of our lives."

Lions skipper Sam Warburton says the lessons he and his Welsh colleagues learnt in Australia last summer will stand them in good stead for their return visit with Britain and Ireland's elite next month.

Tom Youngs has enjoyed a remarkable rise to the top of the British & Irish game but he won't be resting on his laurels ahead of his first Lions adventure.

Check out the video from the day the HSBC Cubs met The British & Irish Lions at the Vale of Glamorgan in a day they will remember for the rest of their lives.