Lions' plan B is radical

Gavin Henson, seen here training in Wellington, gets his test chance on Saturday. Picture / Fotopress

Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward yesterday dismembered his first test side for the must-win Wellington international on Saturday.

It was a huge admission of the selection and playing failure at Christchurch, with seven different players picked to start and another four in positional moves for this weekend.

Woodward clearly outpointed the All Blacks yesterday in the alterations ledger, keeping just four players - Dwayne Peel, Paul O'Connell, Julian White and Gethin Jenkins - in the same places in which they started the first test.

Changes were needed, but the scale of the amendments was drastic, the most Woodward could remember making for an international.

It could have been more. The retention of Jason Robinson, who is moved to the wing, and lock Paul O'Connell must have been questioned after their lacklustre work on this trip.

"I think I would put it [the test] on top of the list of the most disappointing nights I have been involved in," he said.

Going into the match, Woodward reiterated that he felt he had got lucky with the conditions and his selections, based on an English pack with the experimental twin kicking five-eighths of Stephen Jones and Jonny Wilkinson.

"Rightly so, I have to take all the arrows and stones and bricks and feedback, so that is all part of it. I now look forward to Saturday night."

He could not retain the same side and hope they would develop. The tour demanded immediate redress and he had made changes with "players who deserved a chance to get everything back on the road".

He had chosen an attacking, more mobile side because it was a test in which victory was mandatory for the Lions.

"It is time to shake things up."

That dissection did not include Jonny Wilkinson, a talisman for England who has played just three times since his serial injuries, has looked nothing more than steady, but whose performance Woodward described as outstanding in the opening international.

However, Wilkinson has been switched to his more regular first five-eighths position, with Welsh wonderboy Gavin Henson outside him, and the new Lions captain, Gareth Thomas, asked to play centre for the first time in ages.

Once Brian O'Driscoll was out injured, the Jones-Wilkinson axis did not have as much appeal, so Woodward opted to use Wilkinson at first five-eighths where he had been the best performer in the squad.

"I think he is the man, I think he has the goal-kicking capacity," Woodward said.

Intriguingly, Woodward has chosen an Irish lineout without the first test lineout throwing of colleague Shane Byrne.

He has gone to the Welsh backs, but not given them the Jones pivot who ignited them in the Six Nations, and has picked an untried loose forward mix.

Woodward was confident his lineout would operate solidly with new thrower Steve Thompson and with information he claimed showed the All Blacks broke the lineout laws.

He accused them yesterday of having extra numbers on every Lions throw, even though after the test forwards coach Andy Robinson reckoned the mistakes were just that they had been beaten to the calls, lifts and jumps.

"Look what happened at the weekend. Those of you who probably understand the game should look at every single lineout and then you may understand where the actual problems came from," Woodward said.

* Wellington, Saturday 7.10pm

All Blacks
Mils Muliaina
Rico Gear
Tana Umaga (c)
Aaron Mauger
Sitiveni Sivivatu
Daniel Carter
Byron Kelleher
Rodney So'oialo
Richie McCaw
Jerry Collins
Ali Williams
Chris Jack
Carl Hayman
Keven Mealamu
Tony Woodcock

Reserves: Derren Witcombe, Greg Somerville, Jono Gibbes, Sione Lauaki, Justin Marshall, Ma'a Nonu, Leon MacDonald.

Lions
Josh Lewsey
Jason Robinson
Gareth Thomas (c)
Gavin Henson
Shane Williams
Jonny Wilkinson
Dwayne Peel
Ryan Jones
Lewis Moody
Simon Easterby
Donncha O'Callaghan
Paul O'Connell
Julian White
Steve Thompson
Gethin Jenkins

Reserves: Shane Byrne, Graham Rowntree, Martin Corry, Martyn Williams, Matt Dawson, Stephen Jones, Shane Horgan.