THE British and Irish Lions are “about to run out of oxygen before they reach the summit” in New Zealand, according to Worcester Warriors’ chief Gary Gold.

Warren Gatland’s Lions face the All Blacks tomorrow in a must-win second Test in Wellington (8.35am).

Gold said: “John Robbie said a British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand was like climbing Mount Everest.

“Well, I think the Lions are about to run out of oxygen before they reach the summit.

“It is now do-or-die for Gatland’s team. Everything hinges on what happens in the second Test.”

Warriors’ powerful centre Ben Te’o has been dropped to the bench after impressing in Lions’ 30-15 first Test defeat in Auckland last Saturday.

“Kiwis traditionally are not outstanding at managing contestable kicks, as we saw when the Lions played the Crusaders, and that’s why I think contestable kicks are probably the way to go in Wellington,” said Gold, a former South Africa assistant coach.

“The Lions will need to execute a very good kicking game to put the All Blacks under pressure and maximise the number of entries to the All Blacks 22.

“And they won’t get there often so they’ll have to make those visits count.”

He added: “For the Lions to win the second Test, they’re also going to have to lift their defence to deal with New Zealand’s offloads.

“It brings a new dimension because you need your adjusting defender to be wide awake and alert to the fact that the tackle alone won’t suffice, as they also need to close off the offload once that tackle is made.

“The Lions didn’t defend badly in the first Test, but they didn’t handle the offloading game well.

“Let’s see whether the tourists can get their expedition back on track.”

Gold arrived at Warriors as their new director of rugby in January and steered them to Aviva Premiership safety.

He admits the Lions faced an “incredibly difficult task” from the start.

However, Gold claimed a decision to swell the ranks by bringing in Welsh players like Gareth Davies and Tomas Francis  had been “one real blot” on Gatland’s card.

“Looking back on the tour, it’s an incredibly difficult task and I think, in a way, Gatland was damned if he did, and damned if he didn’t in terms of selections and playing style,” said Gold.

“However, the one thing that is paramount with a Lions tour is to win the Test series, nothing more, nothing less.

“For me, the one real blot on his card was the decision to bring in the no-name Welshmen.

"That really soured the tour and I wonder whether the drop-off in talent isn’t part of the reason their second-stringers struggled like they have.”