All Blacks hot favourites for Lions series

With just a few days to go until the first Test between the British and Irish Lions take on New Zealand, the bookies have lengthened the odds on the tourists coming away with a series victory.

The withdrawal aof Lawrence Dallaglio through injury and the loss to New Zealand Maori saw bet365 shorten the All Blacks to 2/7 (1.28), from 2/5 (1.40), while the Lions can now be backed at 5/2 (3.50), having been 15/8 just a couple of weeks ago. The draw remains a 20/1 (21.00) shot.

Sir Clive Woodward's side at least got back on track with an impressive victory last weekend and the coach has chosen to go with experience for Saturday's clash in Christchurch, in what is the opening encounter of the three-Test series.

History, of course, is on the All Blacks side. Of the ten tours since the maiden voyage in 1888, the Lions have won just one series, a 2-1 victory in 1971, with one draw. Between 1977 and 1993, the All Blacks won seven consecutive Tests, while the last tour, in 1993, ended 2-1 to the All Blacks.

Not surprisingly, having cut the home side for outright victory, the correct score prices have also been cut on an All Black triumph. A New Zealand whitewash is now a 5/4 (2.25) chance, in from 13/8 (2.62). A 2-1 home win - a very popular selection given the way the Lions often make a good start to their Test series - is still a 7/4 (2.75) chance. A 2-0 win, with one draw, is a 25/1 chance (26.00).

A Lions 2-1 victory is a 10/3 shot (4.33), which is out from 12/5 (3.40), while the holy trinity of a 3-0 whitewash to the tourists is now on offer at 14/1 (15.00), having been 12/1 (13.00) just a few weeks ago.