By Bob Howitt

The Lions' 'Dumb and Dumber' show has finally taken a turn for the better.

With not a second to spare if they are to salvage the series, Sir Clive Woodward and his fellow selectors have begun acknowledging their own form players, in the process conceding that most of the Englishmen who won the World Cup in 2003 are past their use-by date.

By jettisoning such grand old campaigners as Neil Back, Martin Corry, Ben Kay and the injured Richard Hill, they have dramatically reduced the average age of the pack from 30 to 26.

And on the strength of a stunning performance in the 109-6 rout of Manawatu on Tuesday evening, winger Shane Williams has secured a place in the Test XV. Hallelujah!

It wouldn't have happened the previous week because the hapless squad banished to Invercargill for the Southland game were told none of them would be considered for first Tst selection.

Allegiances aside, astute New Zealand rugby people are intensely elieved the Lions came crashing down in Christchurch.

For had they proved themselves as almighty as the spin doctors built them up, rugby tours would never be the same again.

Forty-four players and a support cast of 40-odd, accommodation in the ritziest hotels, single rooms for all, secret training sessions, midweek squads separate from Saturday squads, hire the finest spin doctors and save your best combination for the first Test. Oh, and spare no expense, spare absolutely no expense. Don't worry if the final bill runs to several million dollars.

Sir Clive and his planners seem to have forgotten that the only British Lions team to have won in New Zealand, the fabulous team of 1971, came with one manager, one coach and 30 players for a 24-match campaign.

Barry John, one of the '71 superstars - some would say the superstar, played the midweek matches (against NZ Universities, Auckland and Bay of Plenty) immediately preceding the second, third and fourth Tests!

In planning his 2005 campaign, on a breathtakingly lavish scale, Sir Clive seems to have overlooked one important factor ­- he's working with rugby players.

Although they've come a long way in the decade since the game was proclaimed professional, your average player doesn't demand five star hotels, does enjoy room mates and, with few exceptions, would willingly turn out in every match, midweek and weekend, if selected.

Anyway, let's hope the reconstructed Lions -­ has any touring team ever made 11 changes between Tests? ­- can produce a performance worthy of British rugby on Saturday evening.

The Manawatu romp left a lot of New Zealanders frowning.

Not because they sensed that suddenly the Lions, in scoring 17 tries, had become a major threat to the All Blacks, but with alarm that Manawatu in 2006 are being readmitted to the new premier league of the NPC.

This is a Manawatu team that in finishing sixth in the second division last season and suffered a 58-14 drubbing from North Otago (which puts the Lions result in perspective).

The NZRU decision to include Manawatu (and Hawkes Bay and Nelson Bays-Marlborough) in the new, enlarged premier competition was taken three weeks ago.

Were that decision to be made now, I fear Manawatu, who were utterly pathetic against the Lions, would miss out.