Phil Vickery paid tribute to James Hook after his penalty preserved the British and Irish Lions' unbeaten record in South Africa.

Captain Phil Vickery paid tribute to James Hook after his late penalty preserved the British and Irish Lions' unbeaten record in South Africa.

Second-half substitute Hook struck four minutes from time, booting a 50-metre kick in blustery conditions to see the Lions thwart Western Province 26-23.

The Lions had earlier scored three tries through Tommy Bowe, Ugo Monye and Martyn Williams, but Western Province fought back from 18-9 down to set up a thrilling finish.

"Credit to James," said Vickery. "As soon as you saw the contact he made, you knew he had the distance.

"It was a great honour to captain the Lions and I am just pleased the guys pulled it through. Western Province fought to the very end. They never gave up, as you would expect.

"The only thing that bothered me was winning the game. It was about making sure of that. We had to go out and win that game. We didn't get it all our own way, and it says a huge amount.

"A week today is the reason why we are here - a Test match - and I just hope we go out and do ourselves justice."

The Lions' opening Springboks showdown in Durban is just seven days away, and they will head to Port Elizabeth for Tuesday's appointment with the Southern Kings boasting five wins from five.

Head coach Ian McGeechan added: "It was a good game of rugby and I am pleased to come out of it winning. We always knew this would be probably be the strongest team we'd faced so far.

"Maybe we tried to play a bit too much rugby at times. It was blustery with a wet ball, which meant there was always going to be a high error-count.

"You can't underestimate the conditions, or the opposition, who were really intent on making it difficult. Our lineout and scrum is going very well and our breakdown work today was very pleasing.

"We could have had a bit more patience with our kicking game, but the attitude of the players and focus on the field when it is coming down to the wire shows how much winning means to us.

"But we know next week is going to be a different level again.

"There are going to be some tough selection calls. We've got to where we are now and we have got one game left before the first Test match.

"Whatever warm-up games you have got, they are not Test matches."

McGeechan also paid tribute to Ireland wing and man of the match Tommy Bowe, whose fourth try in three games helped secure another victory.

"He is playing well," said McGeechan. "He's a very strong runner and if there is space, you want the players to have the confidence to play."

Full-back Rob Kearney, meanwhile, limped off during the second half, with McGeechan describing the injury as a dead leg. Scrum-half Mike Blair had earlier withdrawn from bench duty due to a foot problem.

Western Province coach Allister Coetzee predicted "one hell of a Test series" between the Lions and South Africa.

Coetzee saw his side run the Lions close but was full of praise for the tourists.

"When you lose a game it is not the result you want, obviously," he said. "We got close, but two or three mistakes near the end cost us.

"I was fairly happy with the physicality of our team. The perception was that Western Province were a bit soft in the forwards, but we fronted up well.

"You are playing against a pack that has got close to 350 Test caps. All credit to the Lions pack, they came at us in the scrum, which showed their experience.

"The Lions are improving every week, they are a quality outfit. The Lions have improved in every game they've played. They know how to pick up the tempo and it is going to be one hell of a Test series coming up.

"I am looking forward to it. It will be interesting to see how the Springboks handle the Lions' rush defence - it is two real quality sides matching up."

Western Province captain Luke Watson added: "The occasion of Western Province being able to play against the Lions was awesome.

"We have always known the Lions would have a great physical presence, which is a great tribute to northern hemisphere rugby.

"They have the ability to match the Springboks up front, so the first Test will be very interesting. Their rush defence rattles your cage and it is very difficult to get around it.

"It can put you on the back foot and the Springboks will have to take that into consideration."