Lions head home to lick their wounds

Coach Clive Woodward's players arrived two months ago boasting they were the best prepared squad in history but departed with one of the worst records of all time.

They won seven provincial matches but lost to New Zealand Maori and were thrashed in each of the three tests against the All Blacks, 21-3, 48-18 and 38-19, to become the first Lions team in 22 years to suffer a series clean sweep.

The margin of defeat not only reflected the enormous gulf between the sides but also stacked up poorly in the record books.

New Zealand's total of 48 points in the second test was the highest by any team against the Lions and the All Blacks' three-match tally of 107 points was a new series record.

Dan Carter, who sparkled at flyhalf for New Zealand, also set an individual record for the most points in an international against the Lions with 33 in the second test.

The Lions were comprehensively outplayed in every department.

The forwards, normally their strength, were humbled in the series opener in Christchurch when the All Blacks won two scrums against the feed and stole a remarkable 11 lineout throws.

The backs fared little better. The defensive frailties of the Lions were cruelly exposed and their lack of cohesion and imagination with the ball in hand bordered on the embarrassing.

The Lions managed only three tries in the entire series while the All Blacks piled up 12 touchdowns and might have had half a dozen more with a little more fortune.

Luck was not always with the Lions either. They lost captain Brian O'Driscoll through injury less than two minutes into the first test and finished the tour with a long casualty list.

The Lions lodged an official complaint over the O'Driscoll incident, accusing New Zealand captain Tana Umaga of a dangerous tackle, but the case was thrown out by an independent citing commissioner.

That might have been the end of the matter had the Lions not staged a series of news conferences publicly criticising Umaga.

If the smear campaign was designed to divide the All Blacks it failed miserably as the issue brought the team closer together.

Players' motivation

New Zealand coach Graham Henry could not wipe the smile off his face when he thanked the Lions for providing his players with all the motivation they needed.

Most of the blame for the dismal performance of the Lions was directed at Woodward, the mastermind of England's 2003 World Cup triumph.

Woodward's decision to bring 45 players and an army of assistants backfired. The squad was split into different teams with different coaches, preventing any real chance to establish combinations between the players from England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

The large squad, which eventually rose to 51 because of injuries, meant individuals were given too little game time and Woodward went into the first test with a team which had not played together as a unit.

Woodward was also heavily criticised for his reliance on older, out-of-form English players rather than the Welshmen who swept to this year's Six Nations title.

An unrepentant Woodward defended his handling of the tour, saying he had done everything right and would not alter a thing, but few agreed.

"I'm aware we'll be judged on the results of the test matches but we've also been trying to keep the Lions's touring philosophy," Woodward said.

"I don't intend to defend myself, we are who we are and we made decisions. I wouldn't change anything we have done."

Assistant coaches Andy Robinson and Eddie O'Sullivan said the results raised serious questions about future Lions's tours, with the next scheduled for South Africa in 2009.

Both men said they would prefer a longer tour with more players and more matches to give the Lions a better chance to gel.

However, the increasing reluctance of European clubs to let their players go means the most likely outcome is tours will be shortened.