Epic series failure

unifying effect of a Ryan Crotty type, and as one who sometimes doubted the worth of Conrad Smith, I would now concede that his selfless contributions were probably pivotal to all that success.

It’s one of those intangibles, but men like Smith and McCaw can somehow pull men like Cruden and SBW into line. Read, in this series, hasn’t.

Why was Beauden Barrett still the goalkicker, when his much more accurate brother was on hand?

The Lions are here to stay, thankfully, a unique part of a sport which defies logic on the field, but does it much more impressively off the field with this army of red shirts from different lands. But they were very beatable, and Hansen’s team in its prime would have done so.

Nothing typified the All Blacks’ fall more than Beauden Barrett’s lack of command and attacking runs — he can no longer be described as the world’s best player.

Then there was TJ Perenara, flapping his arms at the referee while Rhys Webb picked his pocket in the final moments on Saturday night. Don’t start me on Aaron Smith’s annoying yelling.

Full marks to Gatland and his Lions, who turned a so-called suicide mission into one which has given much-needed life to world rugby.

They have announced a new star in Maro Itoje — Eddie “England“Jones will be licking his lips over the athletic lock’s development — and Gatty survived the crushing blow of losing Billy Vunipola before the Lions swamped a London departure lounge.

These Lions and their highly likeable captain Sam Warburton will head home outwardly regretting that they didn’t nail a historic victory, and suitably disoriented, publicly, by the strange aftermath that a draw delivers.

Deep down, though, they can feel that they won. Read wore a silver hat to celebrate 100 tests. It was a figurative silver medal.