I think the answer is “Clive Woodward”, coupled with a very good NZ side that was reinvigorated by Graham Henry after John Mitchell’s toxic coaching style.

Enjoyed every second of this. I miss rugby.

The most passionate sportsman I’ve ever seen or heard speak.. listen to o Connell hyping his boys up before a game it will give you goosebumps

Get Pauly on the 2021 tour as a line out coach, we need a specialist in that area as its such a strong asset for the Springboks

Fact is they ran into an incredible New Zealand side which featured some all-time great performances over the tests from the entire backline, especially Carter. Even if that Lions team played to its full potential and O'Driscoll wasn't assaulted I don't think they would have won

Paulie has a great rugby brain. I enjoyed this. Thank you.

Listened to the whole podcast on spotify. It was really good. There is a funny story on when ireland played SA.

Fascinating discussion

Im a kiwi and I absolutely love the Lions concept. To me the problem was there were a number of Lions players injured before the tour or were past there best days. This combined with playing a team that was at the peak of it's powers.

I love rugby fullstop! Love when any country tours Nz, the Lions have always been one of my faves, you get 4 nations in one side playing 1 nation just awesome! Nz were just too darn good that year. At least the Lions drew with us in 2017 x

Simple, the majority of the best NH players of that period had either retired or were past their best. They met a NZ team at the beginning of a journey that saw them crowned the greatest of all time.

Woodward’s policy of keeping midweek team separate to weekend (test match) team was clearly a disaster. The amount of coaching staff and players was way ott. Also, Having Alistair Campbell present as media officer was v questionable on a rugby tour.

The New Zealand side of 2005 were just exquisite to say the least. A young Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Tana Umaga etc were running circles around the British & Irish Lions. It wasn’t that the Lions were a bad side. They were very strong but the All Blacks were just unplayable that series.

You've got to acknowledge that the big difference between the Lions and any National squad, is the difficulty in getting some genuine team comradery in a few short games. The old adage "a star team always beats a team full of stars", is particularly true here. Always love watching the Lions (as an AB supporter).

When did Will Greenwood turn into Roger Uttley?

Losing a great Captain early on didn't help. The Sivivatu try in the first test is still one of my favorites of all time.

The 2005 NZ team were truly superb. They had moved the game forward significantly in the two years post World Cup. I respect what Clive Woodward wanted to do- he was there to take the Lions forward and make them better- it’s just it didn’t work out and the learn was for there to be an acceptance of the limitations of time on an 8 week tour or (whatever it is). 2009 was far better in that respect and the Lions performed with great credit. Can’t believe how well Jonny Wilkinson functioned in 2005 when you consider the hell he went though from 2003 with injury and knowing his mental state (from his autobiography)- he tried so hard. Would have been special to see him and Carter playing 10 in two really closely matched teams!

Irish legend just about to read his book well listen to it on audio lol

What went wrong Paul? Well we came against a team that was young and ended up winning two world cups! Those players went away and we drew the next series! Truth

Pauly is a legend

We need more tours in general for national teams, why not japan tour England or vice versa??

Could listen to POC talk rugby all day

What went wrong. The All Blacks were better. They have better players.

Clive Woodward Robinson Eddie Sullvian being the main coaches. Alastair Campbell being there and giving a team talk. Sullvian only game plan was give the ball O'Driscoll and hope he does something. Woodward thinking it was still 2003 and picking his very old players. Johnny should not have been on the tour Carter out classed him. O Connnell was very poor in all the test games.

Paulies face when Greenwood mentions the lost lineouts

PoC should have been captain in 2013 too. Fine leadership going on the tour with Warburton as captain who barely cling onto his test p,ace with O’Brien playing very well. Gatland was fortunate to win that series.

Personally, I don’t think it’s as simple as saying that the Lions lost simply because of how good NZ, and notably Dan Carter, were. Yes they were on fire, with a great coaching set up too, but the Lions got so much wrong on that Test series, that they were not only beaten, but absolutely smashed. And quite easily too. I remember watching it and I never once felt that they could be competitive with NZ. Even for a team as good as NZ were back then, with those star names like Carter, Rockocoko, Sivivatu, Umaga, McCaw etc etc, the Lions still had some world class talent to compete. Hearing stories about things like taking virtually two separate squads - midweek and test - pretty much isolated half the group already. Ian McGeechan was pretty much head coach of the midweek side, and they did everything separately - even made them travel to the mid week game venues with the Test squad staying behind. That’s not a united party at all. Also, the whole thing about players not even doing things as simple as room sharing. You’d be locked away on your own - no one to chat to or get to know - in what they described as ‘professionalism’. I think POC nails it here when he describes the more ‘old school’ approach of bonding over something as simple as a few beers does the world of good. Ultimately, it would’ve been a huge task to have beaten that NZ side, and I doubt they’d have won the series at all. Even if the Lions were at their best they may not have. But I think the biggest disappointment was that they weren’t even competitive across all three Tests. That and the fact that I think Woodward was guilty of taking some 2003 RWC winners based on reputation rather than form. Some of those players in 2005 weren’t the players they were in 2003. Those 2005 Lions, and the talent they could have utilised, were definitely good enough to at least be competitive and make NZ at least work harder for it.

Very strong NZ side.

One of the things that went wrong was the insane pen POC gave away at a rick when the Lions were 10-0 up in the second test right under the NZ posts with a three man overlap beckoning, the ball coming out and another seven points guaranteed. Probably still wouldn't have won game but coming back from 17-0 might have made the kiwis edgy. people always tend to forget!

Who's looking forward to the Lions tour of South Africa in 2021? I know I am🙂🏉

Clive worked wonders with the 03 England team but he wasn't the right kind of coach to take on the task of coaching the lions-his expertise was building a team up over a sustained period, experimenting throughout and generally messing around to find that perfect combination...which it took him seven years to do. I think that's partly why England struggled so much after the world cup-he lost Wilkinson, Back and Johnson which seriously disrupted his gameplay and nearly half the squad were over 30; they were injury prone and much less reliable.

Will and POC nails what it means to being a Lion.

What went wrong? Erm NZ had a far superior team to anything we could have picked and that's the sad truth. Compare that against the 2013 tour against a comparatively weak Australia when many combinations of players would have got the job done and you have your answer. 2017 tour drawn in NZ was a far greater a achievement than the 2-1 victory in 2013. But that 2017 NZ outfit wasn't a patch on the 2005 team and results bear me out.

All Lions teams are under immense pressure even before they leave home, and then they arrive in either NZ, SA or Australia with the press in particular on their tails.

Needed Jim Telfer.

New Zealand were brilliant; however, the Lions concept and ethos did not suit Woodward. In 1997 Fran Cotton in South Africa said if the Lions play like England then South Africa will win the Test Series 3:0. Woodward wanted to play the England way and fill his team with England players in 2005 and consequently the Lions were abject.

To many english RWC 2003 has beens after they were promised a place on the lions job. Clive Woodward showed an arrogance that was beyond belief. Wales won the 6N that year and were sublime,but woodward overlooked them. Henson,the best back on tour,bypassed for test rugby.

That tour had the greatest back staff support network ever ..Quote Clive !!..maybe to many cooks ...The payers were not good enough .2005 Wales won the grand slam .Still massive English presents

What went wrong? Clive Woodward and Alistair Campbell.

Obviously, its all water under the bridge now. But I think that NZ side was always going to beat The Lions. They (NZ) had several players who were at the peak of their game. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't maintain that brilliance against France in 2007 who had pretty much worked them out.

Woodward's decisions didn't help, but 2005 was one year when the Lions simply didn't have the quality of player to beat one of the all-time great All Black sides. I had Jonny O'Connor, Ryan Jones and Jason White in my back row after the 6N and Stephen Jones at fly half. Simply not good enough against McCaw and Carter in their prime.

I wonder how many,if any,players and fans would rather win a series in New Zealand with the Lions rather than a world cup with their countries.

paul o connell should be coaching ireland now he knows allot about the game a the team ,

What about AW Jones for captain

O'Connell makes a lot of sense, while Greenwood seems a bit out of touch with the modern playing structures and ethos and has a more journalistic approach. Itoje is no captain material. Maybe Farrell is, certainly the only realistic option. Scotland and Ireland are searching for true leaders and great players. Alun Wyn is the better option if he is selected and doesn't retire until 2021-22 when the tour would happen.

Geetch dosent have a Scottish accent .

Well watch the first test. It was obvious after 15 minutes that the forwards were totally overpowered up front by the likes of Jerry Collins. Heck- Ryan Jones wasn't;t even picked for the tour- came in as an injury replacement and walked into the test team. Too many players past their best - Greenwood, Hill, Dallaglio, Back. Bad selection, poor form.

Ian McGeechan has a Yorkshire accent not Scottish.

I am always fascinated by how Lions players interpret 2009 as a victory somehow, when they only won the last game, when South Africa fielded their B team.

why are they still talking about this? the better team won

Woodward picked on sentiment not on form that year. Chose England players well past their sell by date. Left a majority of a Welsh side which had just won a grandslam and within a minute of beating NZ five months before. And regardless what anyone thinks of Gavin Henson, he was at his peak in 2005 and left out of all the tests by Woodward. And that dreadful Lions anthem thankfully long forgotten about.

POC saying the lions were the better team in '09 apart from the 1st half in the 1st test just shows why they lost the series

Bonkers selection and Lord Bald lost the series

I heard on NZ sport talk back radio at the end of the series at the time that apparently the Lions players all had a hotel room each as in no room mates or pairing up! How are you supposed to build team culture, comradery & spirit by doing that?

@17:40 such an English question

We wernt good enough ..Welsh fan

Why would you possibly pick an Englishman as captain? These guys do know the plan is to beat South Africa not lose to them whilst bringing the sport into disrepute

clive woodwood thats what went wrong

Paul is rugby the talk the build the leadership sorley missing

What went wrong? That's easy,the team had mostly english players in it and when big final and big match pressure is applied england fails and are unable to perform when it really matter,you only have to look at the history since about 2005,to often for it to be just a coincidence. And yes I know you won a world cup but that one victory doeant hide the long term english mentality,which is poor..

Asks about 2005 tour...drones on and on about the 2009 tour...

There are 2 words for what went wrong. Clive Woodward.

Clive Woodward believing he is the be all and end all of coaching.Why would you take Alistair Campbell on a lions tour! Woodward is the same now.He believes everyone should listen to him now as a pundit.Large lack of personality and humility.

DANIEL CARTER is what went wrong mainly😉

just say it, Woodward fucked it up!

What went wrong? Ahh.. they played a better team with better players?

Greenwood looks 70, despite his dyed hair. They lost because none of these should've been anywhere near the Lions jersey: Graham Rowntree, Matt Stevens, Julian White, John Hayes, Gordon Bulloch, Shane Byrne, Andy Titterrell, Danny Grewcock, Martin Corry, Michael Owen, Simon Easterby, Jason White, Malcolm O'Kelly, Simon Taylor, Denis Hickey, Shane Horgan, Ollie Smith, Charlie Hodgson, Gareth Cooper, Chris Cusiter, Brent Cockbain. And overrated Clive Woodward fluked the 03 World Cup by happening to be coach during a time when England's generation of players peaked for all time, and they were off the boil by 05.

At that time it was almost impossible for any side to beat the All Blacks they were the best side in the world , they always got the benefit of the doubt with the referees, they got away with murder on the pitch because the touch judges TMO and referees were worried they 'd make the wrong call against them . Anyone thinking im talking crap watch the 2005 second test again , the All Blacks were taking men out off the ball twice the kicker chaser was shouldered out chasing the ball , they were always on the wrong side at the ruck you can see it was deliberate sealing off the ball and not rolling away. Not once was any cards given out , IMO they also played in a South African style and tried to put as many of the opposition in hospital as they could Brian O driscoll comes to mind again No touch judges or TMO , that tour IMO stunk like a fish market , New Zealand were going to win at all costs.

The AirPods must come free with being a great rugby player am I right ?!?!? 🤣👌🤣👌😏😏😏😏😏👌👌💪💪💪🤣🤣🤣🤣

You could have bonded with super glue and still would have lost 3-0. Accept it and move on.

Devon Toner is a far Superior player than O Connell, leave it out old timer Pauline