Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward hopes his decision to follow a tip on Maori protocol did not contribute to his captain being invalided out of the New Zealand tour.
Brian O'Driscoll had a shoulder dislocated in a spear tackle by All Black captain Tana Umaga and hooker Keven Mealamu inside
the first minute of the opening test at Jade Stadium on Saturday night.
O'Driscoll called the tackle foul and launched a damning indictment of his captaincy and positional rival, saying Umaga had not seen fit to even offer his sympathy at any point after the incident.
And in a further rancorous sign, the Lions held two press conferences yesterday, last night showing stark video footage of the incident and claiming the All Blacks get favourable treatment from judicial officials when playing at home.
The incident has taken attention away from the one-sided test in which the speed, skill and power of the All Blacks resulted in a 21-3 demolition of the tourists.
Trouble-prone English lock Danny Grewcock was also banned last night for two months for biting Mealamu's hand later in the test. Naming of the injury-hit Lions squad for tomorrow's game against Manawatu has been delayed.
Woodward said he had received an email from a Maori before the tourists' official welcome in Rotorua. He had ignored this until he went to the ceremony and then realised "it made a lot of sense".
"This man said to show respect for the haka, the chief goes out front on his own with one of the youngest players then accepts the challenge by picking up a piece of grass at the end [of the haka] as a mark of friendship and respect."
This, Woodward said, was what O'Driscoll did.
"We thought it was a nice idea, rather than stand around in a circle.
"Until this incident it's been a great tour. It was all done for the right reasons."
The All Black management last night said the players had not taken umbrage over the Lions' reaction to the haka.
With his spinmeister sidekick Alastair Campbell on hand Woodward oversaw a slick video presentation of the O'Driscoll incident, using slow motion and still images.
They showed Mealamu and Umaga each grabbing one of O'Driscoll's legs, lifting him to about chin height before turning him over and sending him head first to the ground. The ball had moved several metres away before the pair had raised O'Driscoll to his highest point.
The video images also clearly showed new Lions captain Gareth Thomas remonstrating with touch judge Andrew Cole of Australia, who had come on to the field and was close to the incident.
"What I heard him say clear as day was, 'leave him alone, leave him alone. The ball has gone'," Thomas said last night.
Thomas said when he then asked Cole to intervene "he said nothing, not a word". The citing commissioner for the match, South African Willem Venter, opted not to cite either All Black, then left the country.
That infuriated Woodward, who stressed that although the All Blacks may have been found not guilty, the incident warranted a hearing.
It is now too late for any action to be taken against the All Blacks.
Had it been two Lions instead of two All Blacks, Woodward said, he would "be disappointed if they weren't cited".
"It seems to me if you fly a guy all the way from South Africa that you would hang around long enough to explain his actions, or his non-actions."
O'Driscoll had a dose of cold fury about him as he recounted the incident yesterday.
He was disappointed the All Blacks' skipper had not seen fit to even offer his sympathy at any point after the incident. He said he still hadn't heard a word from any All Blacks by last night, apart from halfback Justin Marshall, who offered a consoling pat as O'Driscoll was being treated on Jade Stadium.
"I thought it would have been a common courtesy between captains, whether he was involved or not.
"I'm not sure if that shows an element of guilt. That certainly disappointed me.
"I have no doubt it was some sort of spear tackle. I am absolutely gutted."
O'Driscoll will stay on for the rest of the tour.
A frustrated All Black coach Graham Henry said there was "validity" in suggesting the Lions had deliberately raised a storm over O'Driscoll's injury.
"The O'Driscoll incident didn't strike me as anything different to any other part of the game, quite frankly," Henry said after watching a tape of the match.
He then turned the heat up further on the tourists by saying Lions No 8 Martin Corry, could easily have joined fellow Englishman Grewcock before the judiciary yesterday.
"There was an incident in the game when Corry deliberately stomped on an ankle and I thought 'why hasn't that been cited?' Henry said, adding that the All Black on the end of the act was prop Tony Woodcock.
He said it was his policy not to alert citing officers to acts of foul play, believing it was their job alone to spot it.
"It hasn't been part of my policy to try and find fault with the opposition, but it seems to be becoming part of the game today."
Henry agreed the fallout from the test today detracted from a first-rate All Blacks display and was potentially a ploy hatched by the Lions media team.
"That's probably got some validity. I think our guys are a bit disappointed in the reaction.
"Rather than saying 'well done All Blacks, you've played pretty well', there's been a major concentration on the Brian O'Driscoll situation.
"We're all very sad about Brian O'Driscoll, just like we were with [injured Lions No 8] Lawrence Dallaglio, that's a genuine statement.
"But for the opposition to concentrate on one incident which I can't see anything wrong with, it struck me in the face."
Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward hopes his decision to follow a tip on Maori protocol did not contribute to his captain being invalided out of the New Zealand tour.
Brian O'Driscoll had a shoulder dislocated in a spear tackle by All Black captain Tana Umaga and hooker Keven Mealamu inside
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