Lions coach Ian McGeechan has told of his relief after scraping a third successive victory in South Africa against the Cheetahs.

The Lions almost blew a 20-0 lead but eventually came through to win 26-24 in unconvincing fashion.

Tries from Irishmen Steven Ferris and Keith Earls and 16 points from the boot of Wales fly-half James Hook gave the Lions a narrow win against an impressive Cheetahs side.

"We got ourselves into a good position and didn't develop it as we could have done," said McGeechan.

"The breakdowns became a bit of a lottery and took a lot of momentum out of the game. It was a good challenge.

"We knew the games were going to get increasingly tougher, and you can never under-estimate how important a win is."

McGeechan will be hoping for big improvements in their remaining warm-up games against Western Province and Southern Kings before the first clash against South Africa on June 20th.