The British and Irish Lions face a test of character in the final test against the Springboks on Saturday, with the series already lost, assistant coach Warren Gatland said on Friday.

"Tough questions will be asked of the team tomorrow and it will be a test of character," Gatland told a news conference.

"The boys are gutted to have lost the series but we have come here and earned respect, so if we don't front up tomorrow we will throw all that hard work away."

New Zealander Gatland said the Lions did not want a repeat of the embarrassing end of their previous tour, when the All Blacks won the last two tests 48-18 and 38-19.

"If we get well beaten on Saturday then there will be nowhere to hide. But I hope we have worked too hard for that to happen," Gatland said.

The Lions have made seven changes to their starting line-up for the third test at Ellis Park, mainly due to wear and tear after two hard matches against the world champions.

"It's always a risk making so many changes but we didn't just do it for the sake of it," Gatland said. "We had to be smart and get some fresh legs in after two very tough and physical tests."

(Editing by Clare Fallon)