Henry: soft fixtures didn’t help Lions cause

ALL BLACKS coach Graham Henry believes soft provincial fixtures have contributed to the Lions’ poor performances in the test series.

The British and Irish side have been thrashed in the first two tests in the three-test series, going down 21-3 in Christchurch two weeks ago and 48-18 in Wellington last Saturday.

The All Blacks are keen to complete a clean sweep in Saturday night’s third test at Auckland’s Eden Park with Henry saying they are “taking the test very seriously“.