By Bob Howitt

All is not lost for the British Lions but unless Sir Clive Woodward introduces form players and a more youthful element into his Test line-up, the All Blacks will surge even further ahead.

The average age of the eight All Black forwards fielded at storm-lashed Jade Stadium on Saturday evening was 24. The average age of their Lions counterparts was 30...and it showed.

The Brits were beaten every which way up front ­ humiliated in the lineouts, where the All Blacks pilfered 10 of their throws, an unbelievable statistic, pressured in the scrums and exposed in speed to the loose ball.

The deteriorating weather conditions were probably an ally for the Lions. In good conditions with a dry ball, the All Blacks might have doubled their score.

Sir Clive, if not all his artful assistants, obviously always intended to base test selection around the remnants of the World Cup winning England team of 2003.

It's a trap many quality coaches have fallen into, becoming so enamoured with players they either fail to detect, or probably more truthfully preferred not to accept, that most international rugby players once they hit 30 fall off the pace.

It's why the All Blacks crashed out of the World Cup in 1991 when they'd been a quantum leap ahead of all their international rivals in 1998 and 1999.

The Lions' selectors neglect of form players on this tour has been nothing short of criminal.

One might have thought the selectors would have constructed their test fifteen around the Welsh players who have backed up their Six Nations triumph with standout performances in New Zealand.

The Lions need Gavin Henson's inventiveness and daring in midfield, they need Martyn Williams' younger legs at openside flanker (New Zealanders can't believe Sir Clive stuck with a 36-year-old in this crucial position against the world's best, Richie McCaw) and they must give Shane Williams a crack on the wing.

Josh Lewsey has been patently the best performed fullback yet the selectors opted for 30-year-old Jason Robinson who was a late arrival in New Zealand.

Two Lions series in Australia have been won by the team dropping the first test, which is about the solitary consolation the tourists can take out their drubbing in Christchurch.

They seemed bereft of attacking flair. Such as when they were gifted a midfield scrum after a rare All Black mistake. It presented them with a prime attacking opportunity. Which daring move would they uncork? Obviously something the All Blacks were unprepared for.

Wrong. Martin Corry picked up from No 8, drove into a stonewall defence and promptly turned over possession!

The All Blacks, in contrast, were inventive and expressive. In many respects, this was an even more convincing display than the 45-6 demolition of France in Paris last November, for it was achieved against a much-vaunted opponent.

Even Eddie Jones, the Wallaby coach, predicted a Lions victory.

The unexpected superstar for the All Blacks was lock Ali Williams who has been transformed from a troublesome fellow to a critical member of the tight five.

Even before he was suspended for six weeks for trampling an opponent in Super 12 play, Williams had caused the national selectors much heartburn with his seemingly larrikin attitude to life.

But Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Sir Brian Lochore have worked hard on him, psychologically more than physically, and have come up a rare gem.

While his try owed more to opposition mismanagement than personal anticipation, he consistently disrupted the Lions lineout, ensuring they received poor quality possession for almost the entire match.

Itıs rarely a team's pair of locks out-rate the loose forwards and glamour boys of the backline. But Williams and Chris Jack managed it on Saturday night.

Which has given the Lions management more headaches than they could possibly have imagined one third of the way into the test series.