By PaulF
July 7 2005

So the end of a farcical tour draws nearer and British & Irish rugby can at long last begin to wind down, for a few weeks at last.

Well I guess it would best not to dwell too much on the shambolic circus that has dragged the Lions well and truly through the gutter.

For all his promises and reputation, Woodward conspired to create a hideous monster of a tour, rather than the perceived "best prepared" Lions of all time.

A forty five man squad was not the answer, nor was pandering to the World cup winners of old. Whilst Danny Grewcock was cited for biting, the biting of lips amongst the Welsh contingent must have been equally as bad.

Woodward picked his first test side on a delusion that some how the Lions would dominate the set piece and Johnny would have a few tricks up his sleeve, how utterly wrong could one man be in his single mindedness.

Why were the likes of Greenwood, Back, Hill, Kay and dare I say it even Wilkinson anywhere near the test side, let alone on the tour. In the course of eighteen months not one of these players shown even the slightest smidgen of form. You cannot escape how fundamentally wrong Woodward was to pick these players, when the Lions needed form what they got was the last rites.

The second test was three weeks too late for the Lions to stand even the slightest of chances, the selection was mostly right but the cohesion in terms of defence, ball retention and back line play, was not. Expecting new combinations to work in a matter of days was far fetched, especially against a ruthless All Black side, successfully wound up by the continued spin of Alistair Campbell.

Unfortunately through Woodwards' attempts to add some flair and pace in the shape of Henson and Shane Williams only served to compound the fundamental problems the Lions had. As Mike Ruddock has commented both are players that thrive on front foot ball, and throwing them in at the deep end was a recipe for disaster.

Few Welsh players have gained little other than scar tissue out of the tour, with only Ryan Jones has surpassing, it speaks volumes that Woodward did not even include him in the original tour party. Jones showed a real maturity in an area where the Lions desperately needed a Dallagio type figure to galvanize them. Against Otago it really was a complete number eight performance from the Osprey, it is still unlikely that he will play eight for Wales though, even after a poor trip Ruddock will not discount Michael Owen, who struggled to compete physically against more powerful Kiwi back rows.

In a similar vein Martyn Williams did not meet expectations, falling foul of a perceived weakness in the breakdown area in defeat to the Maoris, realistically though it was the collective inability of the Lions to show enough dynamism in the contact area, coarsely Welsh forwards have shown a significant improvement in that area over the last year. As a late replacement Brent Cockbain showed plenty of fight, but realistically it was all too late for him, and perhaps the ease of getting him from Australia to Palmerston North proved a factor in his call up for the Manawatu match, when he should in fact have been in from day one.

Wales's only front five forward in the original forty-five man squad Gethin Jenkins, appeared to run out of steam when it came to the tests. Despite very good displays against provincial opposition, Jenkins was fairly anonymous and was out scrummaged in the first and second tests. The weight of expectation on the tighthead perhaps proved too much, with only the ineffectual Rowntree on the bench.

Woodward was perhaps almost afraid of naming a predominately Welsh back line. Dwayne Peel and Stephen Jones only started one match together (the first test), nor did Gavin Henson who only briefly played alongside Jones. Jones's extended time in France aside, there was little reason why the trio were not tried together, and it stinks of ignorance in my opinion. Gareth Cooper sunk without trace following his comeback match in Cardiff against Argentina.

The same could be said for Tom Shanklin who was severely underestimate by Woodward, and despite being below par until his injury, as captain O'Driscoll was virtually untouchable. Had Shanklin also not succumb to injury albeit in vastly different circumstances, he would almost certainly started the second test in the number thirteen shirt for the Lions.

As far as being an inspirational leader, Gareth Thomas could not have done anymore before and during the second test. Alfie was unfortunate through club commitments in France, but on arrival he was one of the few players who had the ability to take the game by the scruff of it's neck. One player you fear for however is Shane Williams who was badly used by the Lions, and was sent packing time and time again, he will need to put to the back of mind when the All Blacks come calling in November.

Ultimately though this was a rugby lesson in preparation, worryingly Wales will be in camp only five days before the All Blacks visit and most alarmingly both Stephen Jones and Gareth Thomas may still be stuck in France playing club rugby.