All Blacks v Lions: Woodward questions Steve Hansen's decision making

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen talks with media. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Former England coach Clive Woodward has criticised Steve Hansen's decision making in Saturday's second test defeat to the British and Irish Lions in Wellington.

The 2003 World Cup winning coach has also questioned the recall of Malakai Fekitoa to the All Blacks for this week's third test decider at Eden Park.

In a column for the Daily Mail, Woodward says the All Blacks coach made the wrong call to take Jerome Kaino off the field after Sonny Bill Williams was red-carded in the 25th minute.

With the All Blacks reduced to 14 men, Hansen made the bold call to replace veteran Kaino with test debutant Ngani Laumape to ensure the All Blacks still had seven backs on the field.

"It was clearly a pre-planned move - all teams have plans to cope with such scenarios and it is a sign of a good coach who has thought through in advance what to do in scenarios like this - but I'm still baffled," Woodward writes.

"When a player is sent off early, what you need to do is make as few changes as possible and, ideally, you want it to be an outside back, as was the case with New Zealand.

"New Zealand needed to make no changes. The Lions pack had already shown they were in a meaner mood than at Auckland in the first Test and the forward battle was going to be much more harshly fought. I would certainly have wanted to give it until half-time to see what effect losing Williams would have on the team and adjust using the men on the pitch.

"In such a highly-physical and pivotal game, I would also question whether the rest of the New Zealand team or fans wanted to see such a totemic player as Kaino walking over to the bench and putting his tracksuit on. It felt like two for the price of one for the Lions!"

Woodward also felt that the decision to take Aaron Smith off the field with 15 minutes remaining, replaced by TJ Perenara at halfback, was the wrong call.

"Smith is world class and was running the show in Wellington. Perenara is a good Test scrum-half but as yet no more than that. It does not matter how good you are coming into a Test match at this stage - when you are a man down, it is extremely difficult.

"New Zealand badly needed 80 minutes out of Smith and I didn't detect any fatigue in his play. It might have been coincidence but the moment he came off the momentum began to swing back towards the Lions and I also felt Conor Murray was more comfortable against a lesser opponent and started to blossom. "

Woodward, who coached against Hansen when was in charge of Wales, said he senses the All Blacks coach is on edge.

"I still sense he is edgy and I was very surprised that he called Malakai Fekitoa into the squad to provide cover at centre this week. New Zealand, a land crammed with all-round footballing backs, suddenly seem obsessed with ball-carrying centres. I am not sure how good their distribution skills are when comparing them with Farrell, for example.

"As the Lions start cranking up their forward effort, New Zealand need a second ball-player like Farrell. At present, New Zealand are leaving most of the playmaking to Beauden Barrett and as good a player as Barrett is, it makes defending that little bit easier for the Lions. "

"Hansen might have to come up with a clever fix or selection here."