The World Cup put Woodward on a pedestal but a 3-0 'Blackwash' to New Zealand will seriously damage his reputation-and that is why he is risking internal-strife and banking on Wilkinson and Co to produce another historic win.
Standing in their way will be a home side that are far from homogeneous, one that, according to injured All Black hooker Anton Oliver, rely on the 'Power of Five'.
The All Blacks carry the ranking of world No1 and this is largely thanks to a sustained poaching of the Pacific Islands for their best rugby talent.
Oliver said: "The task we have is to bring together Tongan, Fijian, Samoan, European and Maori - the five different races in our squad. If we drag all those cultures into one collective unit we won't be beaten, but it's a hard thing to do."
One thing is for sure, both the Lions and the All Blacks go into the First Test under prepared. The Lions, by their own admission, are at least one match short of being up to speed while the All Blacks' only recent work-out was a ludicrously easy win over Fiji.
Having been the Lions supremo on their 2001 tour to Australia, All Blacks coach Graham Henry is acutely aware of the potential dangers that lurk in tomorrow's match. Backed by a huge contingent of fans in Brisbane, the Lions claimed a shock First Test win that should have heralded a series triumph.
The Lions failed under Henry and many of the mistakes he made provided Woodward with the blueprint for this very personal tour vision.
It won't be pretty in the expected wet and windy Christchurch conditions but the 15,000 Lions supporters now in the city will settle for a one-point triumph - as will Woodward and his men.
