10 things NZ got right for the Lions tour

Making sure there is no trouble between rival fans

Job done. There were plenty of drunken Kiwi revellers - 31 in Wellington (second test) and 70 (third test) in Auckland - who were arrested for misdemeanours ranging from theft, detoxication and disorderly behaviour. But the Brits were impeccably behaved and there was no trouble between the visitors and their hosts. The police presence in all the venues was heavy without being overbearing.

Getting everyone in and out of Eden Park

This looks like being the NZRU's Achilles heel. It was a shambles. Hundreds who used the train to get to the stadium on the Tuesday night for the game against Auckland were delivered late. Getting away from the stadium was chaotic. The traffic around the stadium was a nightmare. Sandringham Road should have been completely closed off to normal traffic, with only official free buses and taxis allowed past the cordon. It's a serious issue that needs a manageable solution.

Selling out every game

Was just about achieved except for about 400 empty seats at New Plymouth and about 1000 in Dunedin, Invercargill and Palmerston North. It's hard to tell why those seats remained empty. Certainly in Dunedin, Invercargill and Palmerston North it was the cheap seats that didn't have bums (as in gluteous maximus rather than unwashed, demotivated types) on them, suggesting price was not an issue. Guaranteeing World Cup ticket revenue is a major part of the bid. The NZRU has to be sure it can persuade New Zealanders to put their hand in their pocket to watch Scotland play Japan. Empty seats during the Lions tour, even just a few thousand, creates an element of doubt that New Zealand can be trusted to buy into games in which there is no local interest.

Making sure the Lions fans don't outnumber All Black fans at the tests

It was about even for all three tests. The Lions received 8000 official tickets for each test. Yet there were about 17,000 Lions fans in Christchurch, the same number in Wellington and about 20,000 in Auckland. A reasonable percentage of those Lions fans would have been New Zealand residents who were able to legitimately acquire tickets through the ballot. Getting an exact figure is impossible. But it's a reasonable assumption to make that significant numbers of New Zealanders put cash before the jersey. What does that say for the nation's passion for rugby?

Successfully accommodating the 200-plus media following the tour

The NZRU did an excellent job here with every facility up to scratch and no complaints. Carisbrook was a touch makeshift but scraped a pass mark.

Sending the Lions fans home happy

It will be a surprise if thousands of Brits didn't come back in the near future to holiday in New Zealand. Fears about transport and accommodation were largely unfounded. The tourism industry has got its house in order.

Present a united front between NZRU, Government and major corporations

Hard to judge this. But certainly the corporations got behind the tour with some major advertising carrying the Lions series theme. With an election imminent the politicians had their focus elsewhere, but at least there were no awful Mallardisms to stick in the craw.

Prove the All Blacks are the people's team

Three public trainings and open media access from start to finish. There are parallels with the Soviet Union here - John Mitchell was Leonid Brezhnev, succeeded by Mikael Gorbachev as played by the Glasnost practising Graham Henry.

Ensure there is enough beer at every venue

No problem there. Even Palmerston North, which the Barmy Army were attempting to drink dry, stayed afloat.

Winning the test series

It was just too easy.