Sir Clive Woodward says Warren Gatland has taken a 'bit of a punt' picking Lions skipper Sam Warbuton for the second Test with the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday and made a mistake keeping Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones in his second row.
Instead the 2005 Lions coach would have had Wales' Justin Tipuric as his starting openside and kept the services of first Test skipper Peter O'Mahony in the No.6 jersey, the position the Munsterman vacates for Warburton.
And Woodward insists the second row should have been England duo Maro Itoje and Courtney Lawes with Irishman Iain Henderson on the bench.
Writing in the Daily Mail, England's 2003 World Cup-winning coach said: "At second row it was clear that Maro Itoje would start and one of the big factors about him is that he is effectively an 80-minute impact player.
"Barring injury there is no reason why you would take him off.
"His fitness levels are exceptional and he galvanises those around him.
"So the other second-row selection boiled down to a straight choice between Alun Wyn Jones and George Kruis. Warren Gatland has gone with Jones but it must have been close.
"As the week has progressed my thinking on lock has changed.
"I would have gone for broke and started with Courtney Lawes alongside Itoje with Iain Henderson on the bench.
"The back row was another interesting call. Right up until the start of this tour I had Sam Warburton in my Test team at six in a back row consisting of two opensides with either Justin Tipuric or Sean O’Brien at seven.
"When fully fit and firing Warburton is a magnificent player but it became obvious he was not quite match fit and a turned ankle in the first game did not help either.
"It was the right decision to pick Peter O’Mahony ahead of him last week and the Irishman’s contribution was under-rated. I would have continued with him at six. It is a bit of a punt selecting Warburton.
"Will we see the world-beater of four years ago or the slightly undercooked version we have seen so far on tour?
"Purely on tour form I believe Tipuric should be starting seven, especially as the Lions have sign-posted an expansive approach.
"He is a phenomenal player but once he was asked to play the full game against the Hurricanes on Tuesday it was clear he was not going to get a start.
"Ultimately it is how the Lions 23 approach the game and play that counts. What we need now is clever, cohesive, courageous and career-best performances from all those involved."
