The itch that Peter de Villiers, the South Africa coach, has created for the rugby public here is becoming more inflamed.

What started as a mild inquiry on Monday - had he been congratulated by the Lions for winning the series, which will conclude with the third international at Coca-Cola Park on Saturday - threatens to become a debate over whether De Villiers has lied.

Twice the Springboks coach has claimed that no handshakes have been exchanged with Ian McGeechan, his Lions counterpart. Yesterday the touring party said that the two men had met twice after the decisive second international in Pretoria last Saturday and that handshakes had been exchanged.

Thus a mountain will be made out of a molehill, but it all adds to the argument that De Villiers's public outbursts have become a national embarassment. His coaching record - nine wins from 13 games last year and now a series win over the Lions that, if South Africa win this weekend, would be the first clean sweep in 118 years of rivalry - is constantly belittled.

It is the players who won the World Cup two years ago under the captaincy of John Smit who are given the credit, along with the organisation of the assistant coaches, Gary Gold and Dick Muir, both of whom express themselves with greater fluency in English than De Villiers, an Afrikaans speaker.

None of which is the concern of the Lions as they try to salvage something from the wreckage of their international hopes, except that they are drawn into it. Graham Rowntree, the assistant forwards coach, described as "crass" and "pathetic" De Villiers's comments that seemed to condone the eye-gouging by Schalk Burger, the Springboks flanker, which has earned the player an eight-week suspension. Rowntree will be pleased to know that the International Rugby Board is to launch an investigation into why there is such a degree of variation in the suspensions for gouging, in the hope of reducing the number of high-profile cases.

The reality for the Lions, who name their team today, is that they have to put the controversies of last Saturday behind them.Paul O'Connell, the captain, agreed that South Africa “are not world champions for nothing but we will be eager to prove ourselves. To be 2-0 down in the series is not a true reflection of where we believe we are”.

Although Jamie Roberts, the Wales centre who damaged a wrist at the weekend, has not been ruled out he must be capable of contact work in training today. Tommy Bowe (elbow), Ronan O'Gara (eye injury) and Phil Vickery (throat infection) are expected to be available, with injuries forcing changes in the front row and midfield against a Springbok team that could be littered with newcomers.