PlanetRugby.com prediction for 3rd Test

Eoin

Prediction: All Blacks to run the tourists ragged. New Zealand by 20 points.
sportingodds.com prediction: New Zealand by 15 points.

NZ by 20 points, sounds about right to me - your thoughts?

Preview - New Zealand v Lions, III

Third Test looking ominous for weary Lions
The British & Irish Lions limp into the third Test with nothing to play for except pride, and the number of injuries that have suddenly overwhelmed the squad suggest that this particular pride of Lions has already received punishment enough.

The tourists are staring a whitewash in the face, and although the two All Blacks who have caused the most damage so far - Dan Carter and Richie McCaw - are out, not to mention Aaron Mauger, the replacements called upon by Graham Henry show a depth of strength which Woodward can only envy.

The All Blacks can also call on their fans if the going does get a little tougher, something that the Lions will find a little harder to do. There have been a number of disgruntled Lions fans leaving Auckland this week having sold their match tickets. Many just don't have the faith any more, whilst others are fuming at the arrogance displayed by the touring party management.

Yah boo sucks to them if the Lions do pull a rabbit out of a hat and snatch a famous but ultimately hollow victory, but given the unseemly PR job and public image fostered by Woodward and his little media goblins, you can see their point.

If the Lions do lose, it will be the least successful tour for 22 years - which was also to New Zealand, and which also featured a certain Clive Woodward in the touring party - another title to add to the collection of negative superlatives queuing up behind the words '2005 Lions'.

If the whitewash does ensue, not even the centrifugal forces of the Milky Way could spin the tourists away from the realisation that 'the best prepared touring party ever assembled' was also one of sports' costliest flop.

So what are the Lions' chances on Saturday? Well, just take a look at the new teams.

Behold the All Blacks. Sione Lauaki's impact off the bench last week was impressive, to say the least, and his addition to Rodney So'oialo and Jerry Collins creates a back row of dangerous pace and skill.

In the backs, Conrad Smith has replaced Aaron Mauger in the role of snapping at the heels of the Test players for too long a time, and Luke McAlister's inclusion has been on the cards for a while.

McAlister is not as solid as Carter, and not as strong in the run, but he possesses an intelligence and ability to think out of the box which only King Carlos displayed before him. He will cause havoc if given a half-yard of space, especially with the talent outside him.

Woodward's Lions selection process is still a mystery to all but himself. The omission of Simon Shaw, all six foot eight and nineteen stone of deceptively fast and skilful lock forward is a puzzle that Sherlock Holmes would have difficulty unravelling, as is the selection of the aging Dawson over future-star Cusiter, and bog-standard Byrne over bristling Bulloch.

Once again Paul O'Connell gets the nod in the second row, even though he has conceded one catastrophically stupid penalty in each of the games so far and has been generally bereft of both form and discipline. Shaw, faultless all tour, is not even on the bench. Many have speculated it was the Woodwards' family dog that Shaw ran over, but it could have been the mother.

Shane Horgan is left on the bench again despite impressing every time he comes off it, yet Will Greenwood - singularly uninspiring all tour - is there to counter the threat of Smith.

Thus, the Quin will win his first full Lions Test cap on his third tour of duty. Say what you will, but this selection smacks of the very same old-boy network that Woodward fought to banish from Twickenham during his England tenure.

But it's not all bad news.

England wing Mark Cueto has achieved something of a miracle by both being in form and working his way into the Test team, and an experiment with the ever-threatening Geordan Murphy is long-overdue. With the exception of Greenwood, the backline looks both capable and fresh.

The weather is due to be a Woodward dream, high winds and wet ball making it harder for the All Blacks to slice quite so ruthlessly through the defence as last week, and now that the Lions have a little more pace and a little less middle-age in the pack, the scrap for the ball could actually be quite even.

Having seen the All Blacks move the ball in wet and in dry though, they have just too many ideas and tricks. The Lions, disrupted by injury, low on confidence, and devoid of alternative tactics, can only defend - which they usually manage pretty well - and hope that the All Blacks stutter. Given the mood in the New Zealand camp, there is not much chance of that.

Players to watch:

For New Zealand: Watch Sione Lauaki's impact from the base of the scrum. He has pace to burn and wonderful handling skills, and when the game is expansive there are few flanks who enjoy playing in a three-quarter role as much - or with as much effect.

For the Lions: Overlooked for the first two Tests for reasons that only Woodward himself can fathom, Geordan Murphy now gets a chance to show the fine lines he cuts coming into the attack from fullback. In an exciting-looking back three, Murphy has a chance to show what might have been.

Head-to-head: Tony Woodcock (New Zealand) v Julian White (Lions): An unforgettable rugby moment from last week was the expression on Tony Woodcock's face as he scrummed down against Julian White just seconds after the pair had been punching hell out of each other. A huge smile enveloped the mustachioed face and a maniacal spark fired in the eyes, the expression of a prop absolutely in his element. An immense physical clash between these two is in the offing, with their own private Test battle locked at one apiece. The propping prize is up for grabs!