Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll is laid out with his dislocated shoulder in just the first minute of the first test in 2005.

In the second of a two-part interview with the only man to have coached both the British and Irish Lions and All Blacks, MARC HINTON gets Sir Graham Henry's insight into the 2005 New Zealand series sweep, and that tackle.

It happened preposterously early, but it's not difficult to make the case that the most debated moment in All Blacks-Lions history tipped not just the visiting captain, but the entire 2005 series on its head.

Looking back, it's as though there were two separate incidents in the opening minute of the hugely anticipated first test between the All Blacks and British and Irish Lions on a miserable winter's night in Christchurch on June 25, 2005, when visiting skipper Brian O'Driscoll was unceremoniously dumped off the ball, and out of the series, more or less before it had even begun.

There is, of course, the Lions' version of the "tip" or "spear" tackle that saw O'Driscoll suffer a dislocated shoulder and play no further part in the tour, orchestrated by coach Clive Woodward and nefariously spun by political PR supremo Alastair Campbell, who was part of the bloated support group accompanying the over-sized playing contingent.

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In it, All Blacks captain Tana Umaga and hooker Keven Mealamu, who combined to tip O'Driscoll, tits over teacups, off the ball in a ruck cleanout, are painted as the miscreants who had targeted the Lions' leader with a cynical act. From the moment the first test ended in a 21-3 defeat for the tourists, outplayed in all facets, Woodward went on the attack in a premeditated campaign that neutral observers recognised as a blatant attempt to deflect attention from his team's (many) shortcomings.

Woodward held three press conferences within 12 hours of the match ending, and at each the message escalated: O'Driscoll was the victim of a blatant piece of All Black thuggery and Umaga, by then fingered as the chief culprit, had to be punished accordingly. The Lions skipper was even presented on Sunday morning, arm in a sling, disappointment writ large on his face, to declare his dissatisfaction that Umaga had not even contacted him to check on his wellbeing, or apologise for his part in proceedings.

Woodward's indignation and outrage only grew when the citing commissioner (a South African named Willem Venter) subsequently cleared Umaga and Mealamu of any requirement to face the judiciary, and then promptly fled the country on Sunday morning. Even local media raised an eyebrow over the hastiness of his departure.

Then there's the All Blacks' vastly differing perspective. To the New Zealanders it was an unfortunate incident that occurred in the heat of battle, undeserving of all the attention it was getting.

They saw it as a rugby play (to be fair to the Lions, the contemporary game has a much dimmer view of such "tackles", and the passage of time does not play in favour of the Kiwi protagonists), and as the volume and frequency of the accusations grew, so too did the siege mentality of the All Blacks. Especially when it became clear their own captain was so vividly under attack.

Sir Graham Henry, the only man to have coached both the Lions (2001 in Australia) and All Blacks (2004-11), was in his second year guiding New Zealand by the time the composite side's tour rolled around. Now, some 12 years on, in a wide-ranging chat with Stuff, he recalls the O'Driscoll incident as something that endured longer than anyone anticipated.

"It was huge," says Henry. "We got around Tana because he was getting a lot of bad press at the time. It was totally accidental – one of those things that happen in a game of rugby.

"Everybody was sad about [what happened to O'Driscoll] but those things are outside of your control. You've just got to move on and concentrate on the next game. The guys had respect for Brian and they didn't want that to happen. I think they handled it pretty well."

You suggest to Henry that the two teams went in different directions in the wake of one of rugby's most raked over incidents. The All Blacks kept their focus in Christchurch, and were at their clinical best as they never gave the Lions a sniff. Then the next week, in Wellington, they went next level as, fuelled by a Dan Carter attacking masterpiece, they dismantled the visitors 48-18. Bang-bang. Series over.

One team galvanised; the other almost distracted by the three-ring circus going on around them?

"Possibly," responds Henry. "I can't speak for them. Certainly there was a huge amount of interest in the O'Driscoll injury and what happened around that. We had to help the guys who were involved in that, move on and concentrate on playing good football in the second test.

"Maybe that was part of our motivation. There was so much negative business going on from the British media it probably galvanised us ... or helped us to galvanise anyway."

When Henry thinks back to 2005, he remembers a group finding their feet as All Blacks under his direction. "I started in '04, and it took us a while to shake down. On the end-of-year tour in '04 we beat the French 45-6 in Paris. We'd changed a lot of things going into that tour, and the boys were starting to really enjoy the environment and connect. Daniel [Carter] was outstanding in that series (against the Lions]. He was a bit of a novice at that point and it was a fairly young side overall."

The coach certainly never felt the need to motivate his side for a series that by then had become a once-in-a-career opportunity for the modern All Black.

"Just playing the Lions gives the All Blacks a lot of edge," adds Henry. "They really looked forward to that series. They were right on edge for it, and the combination of the team developing and in a good phase from that end-of-year tour, playing the Lions and the respect they had for them, it was just something special for the guys and they got up and did the job."

Henry says the unique nature of the Lions experience makes it an easy series to prepare for. And that won't have changed in 2017 as Steve Hansen, an assistant coach back in '05, gathers a side that will once again be "on edge" for their rare crack at this beast from the north.

"The Lions is a big brand in rugby, and our guys respect that. It's the best of the four nations so that demands your attention. They just want to play well. They want to play well all the time but this is special because they only play them once in their career."

So, having been through tours on both sides of the fence, what is Henry anticipating for 2017?

"I would imagine we'll see two different styles. The All Blacks will play what they've traditionally been playing for a long time – a quick game, a high-skill game. But you need at least parity up front, at the lineout, at scrum and breakdown. If one side dominates up front it's going to be difficult for the other. [The All Blacks] will want dominance up front, but that's going to be difficult because this Lions pack is going to be very strong."

Bring it on. Except this time, maybe without the controversy.

How 2005 played out

First test, Christchurch: All Blacks 21, British & Irish LIons 3

Second test, Wellington: All Blacks 48, Lions 18

Third test, Auckland: All Blacks 38, Lions 19