Rugby: British and Irish Lions fall to South Africa A

Tom Curry of the British & Irish Lions is taken to the ground during a tour game against South Africa A. Photo / AP

A South Africa A team packed with 11 members of the World Cup-winning Springboks squad beat the British and Irish Lions 17-13 today to hand the touring team their first defeat.

South Africa A led 17-3 after first-half tries by wing Sbu Nkosi and center and captain Lukhanyo Am.

The Lions closed to within four points after a try by prop Wyn Jones and eight points from the boot of Owen Farrell. That revival came early in the second half with the hosts down to 13 men after yellow cards for scrumhalf Faf de Klerk and flanker Marco van Staden, who went to the sin-bin within minutes of each other just before the break.

But the Lions couldn't get closer than those four points, although they went within inches of a late try by Louis Rees-Zammit.

Defeat was a setback for the Lions, who have beaten domestic teams by 40 points or more in their first three tour games.

Although the Lions weren't at full strength, and South Africa A wasn't quite a full Springboks team, the game had some of the intensity and physicality that's expected when the three-test series begins in Cape Town on July 24.