'Campbell has been outstanding. People don't like change'

Asked to reflect on what went wrong during the unsuccessful tour of New Zealand, he claimed: "I wouldn't change much but when they come here [to New Zealand] in 12 years' time, I would say take more players and play more games. Every game out here is tough and we have run out of players. I would make the Lions bigger and better."

Woodward selected a 45-man squad but saw that grow to 51 following injuries. "The people who say we took too many players are totally wrong, they have to look at what has happened," he said. "Because we are in New Zealand you just can't fly in someone and play them, they need to be here at least a week.

"If you take fewer players there are going to be more injuries and you are going to run out of players."

One of the most controversial appointments was that of Campbell as the Lions' media consultant, but Woodward was unrepentant.

"Alastair has been outstanding," he said. "I just think people don't like change. The way he has got on with the players and all he has done for them has been brilliant and the media has missed an opportunity with him.

"If they had spoken to him, he would have given them ideas of how they could have written some more creative stuff in terms of following the team around and how we are operating.

"That's why I brought him along, to try to move everything with the media to a whole new level, but unfortunately the media have not taken up that challenge."