SHAUN Edwards has urged the British and Irish Lions to ‘‘put a marker down’’ in tonight’s second South Africa tour game.

Super 14 side the Golden Lions await at Ellis Park, the venue for next month’s third Test against the world champion Springboks.

And, after a misfiring start to the ten-match trip when they belatedly subdued the Royal XV in Rustenburg, the Lions know they cannot afford a repeat performance.

‘‘We can’t go into this game with any excuses,’’ said Lions assistant coach and defence specialist Edwards.

‘‘We need to put a marker down and play for 80 minutes.

‘‘I thought in the last 20 minutes on Saturday we played very well and showed a lot of spirit but we need to do that for 80 minutes. To have any chance against the Springboks, you can’t have any lapses.’’ Edwards would have winced at the defensive errors that contributed towards an unheralded Royal XV, drawn from second-tier South African rugby, scoring three tries.

And the former Great Britain rugby league star revealed he had received some gentle encouragement from the South African public.

‘‘A few South African people have asked what I do with the Lions,’’ he added.

‘‘I said I am the defence coach and a few of them wished me good luck, adding that I might need it, which does add a little bit more motivation.

‘‘If you can’t handle the pressure, you shouldn’t put yourself up for the job. I am well aware of the expectation.

‘‘We had put a lot of work into last Saturday and the first half went a bit pearshaped, as the saying goes.

‘‘We’ve worked pretty hard on certain aspects of our defence and we need to be on the money on Wednesday night.

Letting three tries in, you are not going to win a Test series against the Springboks.

‘‘When the players go out on the pitch they are an extension of me. If they miss a tackle or make an error, I am out there with them, not in body, but in spirit.’’ Lions boss Ian McGeechan has made 12 changes, including four debutants – Rob Kearney, Ugo Monye, Nathan Hines and Tom Croft.

Golden Lions: L Ludik; M Killian, J Boshoff, D la Grange, D Noble; A Pretorius, J Vermaak; L Sephaka, W Wepener, G Muller, B Mockford, W Stoltz, C Grobbelaar, F van der Merwe, W Alberts.

British and Irish Lions: R Kearney (Leinster and Ireland); T Bowe (Ospreys and Ireland), B O’Driscoll (Leinster and Ireland, capt), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues and Wales), U Monye (Harlequins and England); S Jones (Scarlets and Wales), M Phillips (Ospreys and Wales); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues and Wales), L Mears (Bath and England), P Vickery (Wasps and England), N Hines (Perpignan and Scotland), A-W Jones (Ospreys and Wales), T Croft (Leicester and England), D Wallace (Munster and Ireland), J Heaslip (Leinster and Ireland).

Replacements: R Ford (Edinburgh and Scotland), E Murray (Northampton and Scotland), S Ferris (Ulster and Ireland), A Powell (Cardiff Blues and Wales), H Ellis (Leicester and England), J Hook (Ospreys and Wales), S Williams (Ospreys and Wales).