BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Lions in NZ | Woodward’s woe

Sir Clive Woodward has failed in his bid to guide the Lions to only their second-ever Test series win in New Zealand after defeat by the All Blacks in Saturday's second Test.

The hosts followed up their comprehensive 21-3 win in a torrential downpour in the first Test with a dazzling 48-18 victory in the second encounter.

There are a number of reasons why New Zealand have wrapped up the series with one game still to go, not the least of them the fact that this New Zealand team appears to on the verge of something special.

For the past few years there has been little doubt about their pace and power out wide, but now they have found a world-class tight five they seem set to reclaim their status as the best team in the world.

But, if New Zealand have been undoubtedly the better side, the Lions have not helped their own cause.

Woodward has been hugely successful as a rugby coach and was responsible for dragging England out of mediocrity and on to World Cup glory in 2003.

He did it by creating a single-minded, professional mentality which served England well but has rebounded on him in the Lions environment in two distinct ways.

Off the field, his determination to create a ruthless professional environment has been at odds with the ethos of the Lions.

The obsessive, controlling mood of the tour management – exemplified by employing Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell as media consultant – led to the Lions being perceived as arrogant and distant.

There is no doubt the Lions have to be fully professional in the modern era but a lighter touch would have made them far more popular tourists.

On the field, his over-reliance on the veteran England players who served him so well in Australia 18 months ago cost the Lions dear in the first Test.

The likes of Neil Back, Will Greenwood, Ben Kay, Jason Robinson, Richard Hill and Jonny Wilkinson are patently not the players they were.

All six were picked for the first Test but only the last two made it into the team for the second match.

The first Test was always going to be crucial as it invariably represents the best chance for a touring party, who go into the series with more match practice under their belts than the hosts.

As it was the Lions turned in a shocking display that put them on the back foot from the off.

The fact that Woodward took 45 players with him also turned out to be a problem.

The coach argued that he needed so many players to compensate for injuries, and the early loss of Lawrence Dallaglio and Simon Taylor backed his argument.

But with so many players on tour it was difficult to give them enough game time and Steve Thompson, the hooker in the second Test, went into the match having only started one of the matches.

It also meant that he had less chance to test out combinations such as the back row and half-back partnerships.

And with less time to fuse the squad's different components together it made it all but impossible for the squad to shift between their conservative gameplan in the first Test and a more attacking one in the second Test.

Bad luck also played its part – most sides would struggle if players of the calibre of Lawrence Dallaglio and captain Brian O'Driscoll managed less than two minutes of game time between them in the series.

The Lions went into the second Test desperate for a win, but ultimately were handed their second-heaviest defeat by the All Blacks, conceding a record number of points.

Few – bar the odd disgruntled Scot – disagreed with Woodward's team for Saturday's game and the XV picked put their bodies on the line from the first whistle to the last.

History may not look kindly on Woodward's Lions stewardship.

But the All Blacks produced a performance of such pace, power and skill on Saturday that few, if any sides in the world, would have been able to live with them in Wellington.