O'Brien slams Lions coaching shortcomings

Sean O'Brien says the British and Irish Lions should have "comfortably" beaten New Zealand this summer and claims the coaching team did not get preparations right before the Tests.

The Ireland and Leinster flanker criticised the approach of the Lions coaching set-up, led by Warren Gatland, and felt the way the team prepared contributed to the three-Test series being drawn, rather than a victorious one for the tourists.

O'Brien was particularly critical of attack coach Rob Howley, claiming he was set in his ways and that midfield pairing Johnny Sexton and Owen Farrell were "running our attack shape" by the end of the tour.

O'Brien, 30, also felt that the build-up to the first Test on June 24 in Auckland had been too intense and that the same mistake was almost repeated before the drawn final Test.

"The first week we definitely over-trained on the Thursday - maybe the coaches were panicking a little bit about getting the information into us and the workload," O'Brien told Off The Ball.

The Lions won the second Test in Wellington 24-21 before the final Test in Auckland ended in a 15-15 draw.

"It's a tough place to go and get a result, obviously," O'Brien added.

"I think before the tour if you'd have asked anyone, they'd have said the All Blacks would probably wipe us. So we can be proud of some of the performances we put in but I think, as a player, it's one that probably got away from us."