Woodward remains defiant

Hansen helped All Blacks coach Graham Henry - both former Wales coaches- engineer a 3-0 Test series whitewash.

"It only happens every four years and the players themselves see it as the number one jersey to get," Hansen said.

"I think the series has been awesome, the fans have enjoyed New Zealand and pushed our fans to be nationalistic."

Hansen believes the Lions steadily improved during the series and that only the tourists' performance in the first Test was not acceptable.

"People were disappointed from the Lions' point of view with the first Test, but that second Test was an awesome Test," Hansen added.

"People who were able to witness that live, I would think, would hold it right up there with one of the best matches they've seen.

"The third Test was pretty good as well.

"The Lions changed the game they wanted to play, used the ball and looked for space - and the Welsh boys orchestrated that pretty well in the backline.

I would be lying if I said they hadn't got it wrong All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen

"That's a harder game for us to defend than what they had been playing."

Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward had been critical of the way Henry - then the Wales coach - handled the 2001 tour to Australia when put in charge.

But Hansen believes that Woodward made some basic mistakes this time around that undermined the whole tour.

"I would be lying if I said they hadn't got it wrong - they got three things fundamentally wrong," Hansen said.

"Their initial game-plan; the use of Alistair Campbell certainly backfired; and probably the size of the squad.

"The first team lacked combination and hadn't played enough rugby."

Campbell, the former UK government's communications chief, was employed as the Lions media consultant.

The All Blacks were less than impressed with Campbell's role in the media storm that followed Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu's tour-ending tackle on Lions skipper Brian O'Driscoll.

There have also been claims that Campbell tried to cover up Gavin Henson's shock omission from the first Test squad by setting up a picture of the Welsh centre and Woodward together without the player's knowledge.

But Hansen is sure that Lions tours will remain an institution of world rugby.

"I just hope they keep pushing them," Hansen said.

"The only person who has mentioned that it might not happen again is Clive - and he's going to soccer, so I wouldn't take too much notice of it!"