By Duncan Bech, PA Sport

The All Blacks' brilliance in taking an unassailable 2-0 lead against the Lions may have afforded Sir Clive Woodward some respite from the barrage of criticism he has faced over the last week, but not for long.

New Zealand's 48-18 defeat at Westpac Stadium was every bit as emphatic as the scoreline suggests. Add it to last Saturday's 21-3 mauling in Christchurch and it is hard to imagine how the tour could deteriorate further.

But it could yet sink to fresh depths with the concluding Test in Auckland in seven days potentially earning the current tourists unfavourable comparisons with the worse Lions squads in history.

It has been a disastrous tour and the series defeat can not be laid entirely at Woodward's doorstep. The Lions deserve sympathy for the loss of talisman figures Brian O'Driscoll and Lawrence Dallaglio to injury.

And there is no doubt these young All Blacks have the potential to be recognised as one of the great New Zealand sides, installing themselves as heavy favourites to land the 2007 World Cup over the course of the two Tests.

But the Lions have contributed immeasurably to their own downfall and the buck stops with Woodward who has got it wrong in so many departments that his reputation has been impaired.

It seems improbable he will take up another major coaching role in rugby and his involvement in the sport may soon be concluded when he takes up the proposed link with Southampton football club.

How Saints players and fans react to his arrival in light of events in New Zealand will be interesting and revisionists, mindful of the team at his disposal in 2003, will be reassessing his contribution to England's World Cup success.

Win or lose, Woodward faced a hiding after the second Test. Victory would have emphasised his enormous selectorial blunders in picking too many Englishmen on reputation for the first clash against the All Blacks.

And now that the outcome of the series has been decided, questions will be asked how the Lions failed to make a fight of it given the talent available to Woodward.

Obvious answers lie in the ridiculous size of the 45-strong party which meant the Test team hardly knew each other when they ran out for the opener in Christchurch, while tactically Woodward got it horribly wrong.

The Lions' problems at the breakdown started in the opening match against the Bay of Plenty and had still not been rectified four weeks later, with the All Blacks outmuscling them with numbers and aggression over the first two Tests.

With his battalion of coaches - whose presence helped raise the total cost of the tour to around £10million - it defies belief that the Lions failed to address the situation and continued to finish second best at rucks.

Of course the All Blacks' brilliance at the breakdown helped settle the issue but their opponents' shortcomings were also responsible with the Lions seeing their possession stifled at source.

If nothing else, this tour has exposed the heralded decline in New Zealand forward play as the myth it is. Talk that the Super 12 competition produces soft packs unable to compete in Test rugby may hold some truth, but suggestions the All Blacks can no longer muster a quality tight five now seems ludicrous.

The Lions were expected to possess the edge up front, especially in the set-piece, but instead they have been taught a humiliating lesson by a pack which matches their superior strength and power with some deft skills.

But the difference in class in forward play pales into insignificance when the backlines are drawn up for comparison, with the All Blacks' threequarters light years ahead in every department.

Led by the peerless Daniel Carter - who set an individual All Blacks scoring record after amassing 33 points today - they attacked with a speed and incisiveness which left the Lions chasing shadows.

Carter's brilliance owed much to the magnificent platform laid by his pack, but the Canterbury fly-half is undoubtedly an exceptional talent and totally eclipsed Jonny Wilkinson, who cut a forlorn figure.

Elsewhere Gavin Henson and Jason Robinson were anonymous, Gareth Thomas took the only try-scoring chance that came his way, Shane Williams was out of his depth and Josh Lewsey struggled to make an impression. Only Dwayne Peel's display provided any comfort.

With their pack on the back foot, the Lions' backs struggled. In comparison the dashing All Blacks threequarters shone, lapping up the quality ball sent their way with try-scorers Carter, Tana Umaga and Sitiveni Sivivatu in dazzling form.

Such has been New Zealand's quality over the first two Tests it is doubtful whether any coach could have moulded the 2005 Lions into a unit capable of registering only a second Test series triumph over the All Blacks.

Graham Henry's men have been operating at a different level to anything the cream of British and Irish rugby have been exposed to, proving themselves light years ahead of their competitors.

Maybe the All Blacks' superiority meant Lions were doomed to failure the moment they left the UK, but the comprehensive nature of their humiliating defeats was no foregone conclusion and for this only Woodward is to blame.