By Neal Collins

Prince William. Alastair Campbell. Sir Clive Woodward. Jonny Wilkinson. Your boys took a hell of a beating.

With 50 players and £7million, royalty, spin doctors, security men, pop stars and everything modern sports science can provide, the 2005 Lions took the worst beating in history in Wellington last Saturday.

The prospect of an All Blackwash looms with the Third Test on Saturday and before that, the dirt-trackers have got Auckland to contend with. Just in case anybody was expecting an easy ride, it's worth pointing out right now that they've won three Super 12 crowns and a record 14 National Provincial Championships and have beaten the Lions six times.

It could easily be humiliation upon humiliation for these overpaid, overhyped, over-prepared Lions.

And Sir Clive Woodward's reputation, already creaking, will lie in tatters by Saturday lunchtime.

Just listen to Steve Hansen, the former Wales coach who is now Graham Henry's No 2 with New Zealand.

He says: "Woodward has got it wrong. He would have been better off leaving Alastair Campbell and home. What he and Woodward did to us after Tana Umaga's first-Test tackle on Brian O'Driscoll really drove us together.

"I guess Clive is going to be remembered as the man who lost the Lions series after telling everyone it was going to be the best prepared touring side ever."

But hold on a mo Mr Hansen, when was the last time the mighty All Blacks last won the World Cup?

Yup, 1987, the very first one. And nothing since.

The All Blacks, admittely brilliant on Saturday, always peak between World Cups. It's a pitiful Kiwi tradition, along with living in a remote, boring country, with a capital wetter and windier than Edinburgh and being represented by a bird which has wings but can't fly.

Sir Clive happens to have a World Cup on him right now. His elaborate preparation worked with England. By God it worked. They had years to prepare and, after continual infighting with the big clubs, he finally got it right.

Nobody can take that away from Sir Clive, especially not crowing Kiwis.

Sure, there have been mistakes on this tour. Six of the first Test players, beaten 21-3 in a far worse performance that last Saturday's record 48-13 crushing, had only played one game before the international. Too many of them were Englishmen who were past their sell-by date.

Spin doctor Campbell and royal hanger-on Prince William should never have been so publicly involved.

He should have picked on form, not reputation.

But to suggest Sir Clive will be remembered for losing a Lions tour rather than winning a World Cup is ridiculous.

He knew when to leave the England job. He is about to leave rugby for good. The great players, Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio, Jonny Wilkinson and Neil Back, peaked for him in 2003. They may never peak again.

Southampton's football fans will soon know if his peculiar brand of manic preparation and motivational chat - mixed with more than a touch of self belief - is any good in the round ball game.

In the meantime, bring on Auckland. Their coach Pat Lam, who knows a thing or two about British rugby, has got eight former All Blacks at his disposal, including record-breaking winger Joe Rokocoko, the shock absentee from this series. Then the final Test.

Both will end in defeat.

Everybody will question Sir Clive's credentials. They'll call for an end to Lions tours. They'll rabbit on about 1971, when 30 men in a bus did what this bunch of millionaires couldn't.

But that's sport isn't it?

Soon they'll be booking up for the next Lions crusade. And all this will be forgotten. And Sir Clive Woodward will still be a World Cup winner.

Graham Henry, Steve Hansen, shut it. Until 2007.