Sir Clive Woodward admits he has struggled with the concept of a Lions tour after his side's Test series defeat to New Zealand. "You want to come and give everyone a chance, tour a country and win a Test series," the head coach told BBC Sport.
"You have to juggle a lot of things. If you want to win a Test series, you wrap your 22 in cotton wool and leave them in Melbourne for three weeks.
"New Zealand have wrapped their team up in cotton wool. But we can't do that."
While the Lions produced a vastly-improved display following a first Test drubbing in Christchurch, they still came unstuck 48-18 in Wellington on Saturday to lose the series with one game still remaining.
If the All Blacks inflict another defeat on Woodward's men at Eden Park next Saturday, then their New Zealand trip will be officially confirmed as the worst Lions tour for 22 years.
But Woodward hinted that the nature of a Lions tour was always going to make winning in New Zealand difficult, even though he has no regrets.
"If you absolutely prioritise winning the Test matches, you leave them in Melbourne for three weeks to prepare for those matches, but that's not what it's about.
"And you're playing against a team which is operating that way.
"[The All Blacks] have moved on massively since the World Cup, so have South Africa and Australia. I think that's the lesson we've all got to learn.
"Would I have done anything differently? The answer is no."
And Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll, who suffered a dislocated shoulder in the first Test, admitted the Lions had "not clicked" on the tour.
"I don't think we have clicked as we anticipated but we can't make excuses about that because that is always the challenge of a Lions Tour," O'Driscoll said.
"But when you look at the way the All Blacks played on Saturday and how clinical they were, I don't think anybody would have lived with them.
"They are better than Australia were four years ago and this is always a very difficult place to come."
MMIX
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