Chris Hewett: Sir Clive needs to start praying

Sir Clive Woodward considers himself a solutions man, not a problems man. Over the next few days, we will discover the reality behind that self-assessment.

The Lions' defeat by New Zealand Maori in Hamilton on Saturday night threw up more technical and tactical issues than the average coach would begin to know how to handle, and Woodward has precisely a week to reach some important conclusions.

Can the Lions really take on the All Blacks in Christchurch in 12 days' time without a specialist middle jumper in the lineout? If not, is Ben Kay in sufficiently good form to cut it against Ali Williams, who looked full of the joys in the non-match with Fiji last Friday?

Can Steve Thompson, clearly the best hooker in every area bar the throwing-in realign his dodgy radar in time for the tests? To make matters worse, Brian O'Driscoll is not in the best shape. Of course, the best Irish centre since Mike Gibson is always worth his place because he is more than prepared to make the best of a bad job by mixing it physically with his opponents, however tough and rampant they may be.

How does Woodward coax the best from his captain, one of the few tourists capable of threatening the All Blacks with ball in hand? This is not the overriding concern, however. The subject Woodward simply must address over the next few days is that of the breakdown: how to reach the ball first, how to secure it, how to make it available.

In short, he must decide which of the open-side flankers available to the Lions stands the best chance of living with Richie McCaw.

It is a difficult one, for sure. By comparison, the splitting of the atom and the solving of Fermat's Last Theorem were pieces of cake.

Every New Zealand team, be it provincial or representative, seems to have a breakaway loosie with the words "world" and "class" tattooed across his forehead. We are not just talking McCaw here.

Marty Holah made a complete mess of the Lions at the weekend, just as Chris Masoe gave them a hurry-up in Taranaki and Nili Latu - not a household name in the old country, it has to be said - caused them endless hassle in Rotorua.

Life is not about to get any easier.

Ben Herring of Wellington and Josh Blackie of Otago are on the agenda ahead of Mr McCaw, and before the final test the Lions will have to do something about Daniel Braid of Auckland.

How will they cope? Or rather, who will they ask to cope?

It is too easy to dish out stick in the direction of Martyn Williams. The Welshman is not the biggest or the strongest, but at least he has the pace and intelligence to materialise in the right place at the right time. Can Lewis Moody, athletic but indisciplined, figure things out better than Williams? Can Richard Hill get around the field faster than the Cardiff man? Is Neil Back, homing in on bus-pass territory, the bolter for the tests at the tender age of 36?

On this matter, Woodward has to make a decisive call. He has two former flankers on his coaching staff in Andy Robinson and Gareth Jenkins and he will seek their advice. And then? With McCaw ready and waiting, prayer would seem as good an option as any.

* Chris Hewett is a rugby writer for the Independent in London.