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Disappointment ... Henry is concerned what another series loss might do to the Lions brand. Source:AP
Former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry is concerned about the British and Irish Lions brand, but admits one of rugby's longest traditions is a "phenomenal" asset to the game.
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The tourists face the Wallabies in the third and deciding Test on Saturday night in Sydney, where victory for Australia would condemn the Lions to another ultimately fruitless tour – their fourth on the trot since a 2-1 defeat of the Springboks in 1997.
And with New Zealand being the next stop on their four-year cycle of destinations, Henry – who coached the Lions on their last trip to Australia in 2001 – believes the tour is at risk of losing its lustre.
"The Lions brand is phenomenal for rugby," Henry told Fox Sports' Rugby HQ.
"But how can we sustain it?
"If the Aussies win on Saturday, they (the Lions) go to New Zealand in four years' time and wouldn't have won for 20 years.
"So I wonder whether they need to look at the tours, whether they need to be that long."
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The Lions have again been rattled by injury on this tour with a number of players sent home as they navigated their way through the early tour matches, while Paul O'Connell and skipper Sam Warburton were lost after the first and second Tests respectively.
That was also the case for Henry in 2001, the Rugby World Cup-coach revealing he had just eight fit players on the Tuesday ahead of the series decider 12 years ago.
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"They lose a lot of players through injury," Henry said.
"So I think sustaining the Lions is hugely important to the game and making them competitive.
"We had eight players fit on the Tuesday before the third Test in 2001."
Turning his attention to Saturday night's looming on-field battle, Henry said Wallabies coach Robbie Deans would be looking for his side to be far more patient than their bumbling efforts from Melbourne.
The Wallabies dominated possession at Etihad Stadium last weekend but much of their good play was undone by ineffective work at the breakdown and a desire to push 50-50 passes.
"I'd say Robbie's talking about patience this week – (Deans is saying) we don't need to push those passes," Henry said.
"They looked likely at times (in Melbourne) and then they turned the ball over because they couldn't be patient.
"So I would imagine he's (Deans) talked about that … I imagine they will try and build the game for longer this week."
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