Second row Paul O'Connell, who led Munster to Magners League glory earlier this year, skippered a starting XV containing 10 other Magners League stars as the Lions went in search of a repeat of their 1997 series success over the Springboks.
Unfortunately for O'Connell and co, it wasn't to be.
A 26-7 deficit proved just too much to overturn despite a stirring late fightback in which the Lions threatened to produce one of the greatest turnarounds in the history of the sport.
Britain and Ireland's elite trailed by 19 points with just 12 minutes remaining before Leicester flanker Tom Croft grabbed his second score of the afternoon to give the Lions hope. Phillips then produced a trade mark try to make victory a real possibility but the Boks held out to exact revenge for their 18-15 second Test defeat at the same stadium 12 years ago.
Tries from John Smit and Heinrich Brussow in the opening moments of either half helped the Boks come out on top, although it was the huge number of penalties conceded by the Lions that really made the difference at the ABSA Stadium.
Ruan Pieanaar kicked three successful penalties and two conversions, while Francois Steyn added a further three points as the Boks built a convincing lead that they should never have come close to relinquishing. That they did almost let their advantage slip was a great credit to the Lions who must now take the performance they displayed late on this afternoon into next weekend's second international in Pretoria.
Smit's early try brought a huge sigh of relief among the South African support. An understandable degree of tension had surrounded the Springbok fans prior to their first meeting with the Lions in 12 years but their captain's early intervention appeared to settle those pre-match nerves.
Pienaar added the simple extras from just five metres to the left of the posts as the Lions were given an immediate reminder of the size of the challenge ahead of them.
The Lions soon found themselves 13-0 down with a quarter of the match played. A missed penalty attempt from Stephen Jones was sandwiched by successful kicks from Pienaar and Steyn as the Boks showed just how clinical they could be when gaining any sort of footing in the Lions half.
Despite such a disappointing start to their first Test series in four years, Ian McGeechan's men maintained their composure and finally gained some reward for their early ingenuity.
The much-talked about Magners League centre partnership of Jamie Roberts and O'Driscoll did the damage, with Croft on hand to provide the telling touch as the Lions registered their first try with 21 minutes on the clock.
Roberts burst straight through the tackles of Adrian Jacobs and debutant starter Brussow after taking a pass from Stephen Jones on the South Africa 10-metre line.
O'Driscoll's supporting angle took him away from the covering Springbok defence, and when he was finally brought down by JP Pietersen, the Ireland captain had the presence of mind to offload to Croft five metres from the Bok line.
Stephen Jones had little difficulty with the conversion from 10 metres to the right of the posts and the Lions were back in the game at 13-7 with 21 minutes played.
A second try almost arrived for the Lions just five minutes later but Ospreys wing Tommy Bowe was prevented from claiming his fifth score of the tour after club-mate Lee Byrne was pulled up for crossing as O'Driscoll drifted across field.
Steyn dragged a long-range penalty wide of the left post as the Lions stayed within a single score but two successive three-pointers from Pienaar saw the Springboks lead 19-7 at the half-time interval.
If the Lions had plenty to do with 40 minutes left on the clock, they had an even greater task facing them with just five minutes of the second period played.
The re-introduction of laws preventing the pulling down of a maul had had been talked about as a possible advantage for Britain and Ireland's elite but it was the South Africans who made the most of the dismissal of one of the game's most-contentious Experimental Law Variations.
Having first won a penalty after driving fully 20 metres, the Boks continued to maul their way forward, with the Lions unable to bring a halt to their momentum. The home side pushed their way over the try line, with Brussow emerging from the bottom of a pile of bodies to further dent the Lions' chances of working their way back into the fixture.
Pienaar continued his impressive form with the boot as his conversion left the Lions chasing a seemingly insurmountable 26-7 deficit with 33 minutes remaining.
Such a margin may have appeared a bridge too far for the Lions but they somehow worked their way back into contention as the Boks made numerous substitutions and took their foot off the pedal seemingly thinking the job was done.
The immense character and pride associated with the world's greatest touring team shone through as the game neared its conclusion, with the Lions dominating their opponents in every single facet of play in the final quarter of an hour.
When Croft sliced through for his second try after 68 minutes the Lions support began to sense something special.
Again Roberts and O'Driscoll were the catalysts for Croft's well-taken score, with the Welshman making yards before his Irish colleague put the Leicester flanker through a sizeable hole five metres from the Bok line.
Stephen Jones kicked the conversion to bring the men in red back to within two scores as the Lions began to believe once more.
Having earlier seen the ball knocked from his grasp as he stretched for the try line, Phillips then pounced from the back of a ruck seven minutes after Croft's score to reignite dreams of victory at the scene of the Lions' heroic second Test triumph back in 1997. The Wales scrum-half dummied to move play wide before darting backing inside for the Lions' third try of the match.
Belief in the Lions' cause was beginning to turn to anticipation and hopeful expectation. Suddenly the Lions were no longer no hopers in Durban. Instead they were gaining the kind of momentum that suggested an outrageous victory might just be on the cards.
A third successful conversion from Stephen Jones closed the gap to just five as the Lions sensed victory against a demoralised South African side clearly on the backfoot.
Unfortunately, five points remained the gap between the sides when Lawrence signalled the end of proceedings after Andries Bekker won a lineout as the hooter sounded and Ricky Januarie cleared to touch.
The Lions had proved their worth but it was the Boks who took the spoils, albeit in a far more uncomfortable manner than they could ever have imagined mid-way through the second period.
The Lions are next in action on Tuesday June 23 when they take on the Emerging Springboks in their final mid-week match of their 10-game tour.
Expect wholesale changes from McGeechan and his fellow coaches as the Lions look to freshen things up for the challenge of South Africa's second-string side.
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