Clive Woodward's Lions became the first in five tours and 22 years to suffer a test cleansweep.

The Lions once again showed plenty of fight but it was not enough to prevent them coming off second best to Graham Henry's superior side.

As with last week's second Test, the Lions took an early lead, this time through the boot of Stephen Jones.

They should have also had a try to show for their efforts but Donncha O'Callaghan was found guilty of neglecting men outside him when he chose to drive for the line.

Moments earlier Josh Lewsey had escaped down the left and found the charging Gethin Jenkins, who was prevented only by Byron Kelleher's trailing arm from adding another 25-metre try to the one he'd claimed against Wellington.

However the hosts soon took control of the a game with two tries in four minutes, and did so without skipper Tana Umaga who had an early spell in the sin-bin.

The All Blacks were in a class of their own when attacking and threatened so score on many occasions, and the try count of 5-1 highlights the home side's dominance.

Centre Conrad Smith was first to cross for a five-pointer and Ali Williams soon had the second when he pounced on a mistake from Lions' scrum-half Dwayne Peel.

Umaga soon had his second after the break and Paul O'Connell became the fourth Lions skipper in three tests after Gareth Thomas, unwell for most of the week, was replaced by Shane Horgan with half an hour to go.

 His first action, in keeping with a frustrating tour, was to drop the ball five yards out but he can at least claim that the Lions held their own in his spell as skipper.

Given a second opportunity to play against 14 men after Jerry Collins was sin-binned for a shoulder tackle on Jones, they made rather better use of their advantage - besieging the All Black line and, after one surge over the line had been ruled out after a reference to the television referee, making no mistake at the second opportunity - Lewis Moody the man who was carrying the ball as the maul crossed the whitewash. Jones added the conversion.

The final 10 minutes at last saw a Scotsman involved in the series as Gordon Bulloch replaced Shane Byrne.

But the All Blacks, deservedly, had the final word. Rico Gear intercepted as the Lions attempted to attack inside their own half, kicked ahead and showed soccer skills to go with his pace and handling ability to roll the ball on and score.

New Zealand flyhalf Luke McAlister landed his firth conversion of what, after a nervous start, had been an accomplished debut.

New Zealand 38
Try: Smith, Williams, Umaga (2), Gear
Con: McAlister (5)
Pen: McAlister

Lions 19
Try: Moody
Con: Jones
Pen: Jones (4)

Yellow card: T Umaga (NZ), J Collins (NZ)

New Zealand: M Muliaina (Auckland Blues); R Gear (Canterbury Crusaders), C Smith (Wellington Hurricanes), T Umaga (Wellington Hurricanes, capt), S Sivivatu (Waikato Chiefs); L McAlister (Auckland Blues), B Kelleher (Waikato Chiefs); T Woodcock (Auckland Blues), K Mealamu (Auckland Blues), G Somerville (Canterbury Crusaders), C Jack (Canterbury Crusaders), A Williams (Auckland Blues), J Collins (Wellington Hurricanes), R So´oialo (Wellington Hurricanes), S Lauaki (Waikato Chiefs).

Replacements: D Witcombe (Auckland Blues), C Johnstone (Canterbury Crusaders), J Ryan (Otago Highlanders), M Holah (Waikato Chiefs), J Marshall (Canterbury Crusaders), N Evans (Otago Highlanders), D Howlett (Auckland Blues).

Lions: G Murphy (Leicester and Ireland); M Cueto (Sale Sharks and England), W Greenwood (Harlequins and England), G Thomas (Toulouse and Wales, capt), J Lewsey (Wasps and England); S Jones (Clermont Auvergne and Wales), D Peel (Llanelli Scarlets and Wales); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues and Wales), S Byrne (Leinster and Ireland), J White (Leicester and England), D O´Callaghan (Munster and Ireland), P O´Connell (Munster and Ireland), S Easterby (Llanelli Scarletsand Ireland), L Moody (Leicester and England), R Jones (Neath-Swansea Ospreys and Wales).

Replacements: G Bulloch (Glasgow and Scotland), G Rowntree (Leicester and England), M Corry (Leicester and England), M Williams (Cardiff Blues and Wales), M Dawson (Wasps and England), R O´Gara (Munster and Ireland), S Horgan (Leinster and Ireland).