TRI-NATIONS

Tri-Nations - Pumas set for Boks date

Eurosport - Wed, 21 May 2008

Argentina will play South Africa in Johannesburg in August in the first move to include the World Cup semi-finalists in southern hemisphere competition.

A full-strength Pumas side will travel for the World Cup semi-final rematch on August 9 against the eventual champions in between the away and home legs of the Springboks' Tri-nations campaign.
"(This) is the first fixture in a commitment by the SANZAR nations to ultimately incorporate the South American country into their competitions," a SARU statement read, referring to the body grouping the big three in the southern hemisphere - Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

"Argentina have confirmed that they will have their strongest possible team available for the match as they have secured the release of their top players based in Europe," South Africa Rugby managing director Jonathan Stones added.

"I'm sure they will be going all out to beat South Africa for the first time."
South Africa and Argentina have met 12 times in the last 15 years, with the Pumas yet to register a victory.
There will be added importance to their 13th meeting with seedings for the 2011 Rugby World Cup based on the International Rugby Board's (IRB) rankings, as of December 1, 2008. South Africa are ranked first and Argentina third.

"The new seeding arrangements for the Rugby World Cup mean that every test result this season will be vital and Argentina will be determined to hold on to their top-four ranking," Stones said.
The Ellis Park test will be part of the celebrations for former South African president Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday.

Reuters
_________________

McCaw to miss bulk of Tri-Nations

22 June 2008

New Zealand captain Richie McCaw will be out of action for up to six weeks with strained ankle ligaments, the All Blacks said on Sunday.
McCaw suffered the injury in the first half of his side's 44-12 victory over England in Christchurch on Saturday.
He underwent X-rays, which revealed no fracture, after the game and All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen told reporters that the openside flanker had been diagnosed with the ligament strain.
Hansen said the injury was similar to the one suffered by McCaw's All Blacks and Crusaders teammate Daniel Carter during the Super 14. Carter was out of action for six weeks.
McCaw could miss at least four matches in the Tri-Nations.
The All Blacks play South Africa in Wellington on July 5 and again in Dunedin a week later.
Their next game is against Australia in Sydney on July 26 before another Bledisloe Cup match against the Wallabies in Auckland.
McCaw could be available for the test against the Springboks in Cape Town on August 17.
No decision has been made on a replacement.
New Zealand Maori openside flanker Daniel Braid, who was in the wider All Blacks training squad this season, also has a leg injury.
Hansen said lock Ali Williams, who also left the field on Saturday with an ankle injury, should be available for the match against South Africa in Wellington.
_________________

Preview: Australia A v New Zealand Maori

Wednesday 02nd July 2008

Phil Mooney has named ten players with full Australia experience for Sunday's Pacific Nations Cup decider between Australia A and New Zealand Maori.

Mark Gerrard has recovered from a shoulder injury and takes his place in the side at full-back, with Digby Ioane and Drew Mitchell taking their places on the wings.

Mooney keeps faith with Brett Sheehan at scrum-half and he will partner Danial Halangahu at half-back. With Stephen Hoiles promoted to the senior side the number eight jersey goes to Richard Brown, with Julian Salvi packing down at seven.

Previously capped Wallaby Sam Norton-Knight has been named on the bench, with John Ulugia, Salesi Ma'afu, Van Humphries, Leroy Houston, Ben Lucas and Matt Carraro alongside him.

Mooney said there is enough talent in his side to defeat New Zealand Maori, but he is not expecting an easy game.

"Everything is on the line this weekend and we have to go out there and finish the job," Mooney told Fox Sports.

"We've played well to this point, but that won't mean much if we can't rise to the occasion on Sunday."

"The NZ Maori are a very good team but we're confident in our own abilities and strengths and we're hoping Sydney fans will come out and give us a true home ground advantage on Sunday."
_________________

The Teams

Australia A: 15 Mark Gerrard, 14 Drew Mitchell, 13 Morgan Turinui, 12 Timana Tahu, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Daniel Halangahu, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Richard Brown, 7 Julian Salvi, 6 Hugh McMeniman, 5 Peter Kimlin, 4 Al Campbell, 3 Guy Shepherdson, 2 Sean Hardman, 1 Sekope Kepu.

Replacements: 16 John Ulugia, 17 Salesi Ma'afu, 18 Van Humphries, 19 Leroy Houston, 20 Ben Lucas, 21 Sam Norton-Knight, 22 Matt Carraro.

New Zealand Maori: tba

Date: Sunday 6 July, 2008

Kick-off: 14:05 (05:05 BST)

Venue: Sydney

Referee: James Bolabiu (Fiji)

Assessor: Bob Francis (New Zealand)
_________________

Tri-Nations: Australia

Friday 04th July 2008

With the Tri-Nations set to kick-off in Wellington this weekend we are bringing you our unique team-by-team guide. This time it's Australia...

Last Year: A mixed tournament last time out for Australia, although they did manage to beat New Zealand thanks to a late Scott Staniforth try. That win aside they were largely disappointing, going down to South Africa in their opening game - albeit to two late Francois Steyn drop goals - as well as New Zealand in the last game as the All Blacks wrapped up yet another Tri-Nations title.

It could have been a lot worse for the Wallabies had South Africa capitalised on a fine start on their away leg of the tour. Given no hope, South Africa raced into an early 17-0 lead, only to see Stirling Mortlock inspire a fine Australian comeback to ensure his side ended up second in the final standings.

This Year: A new coach, a fresh batch of new players and a new hope. Australia are heading into a new era, gone are the likes of Latham and Gregan and in come the likes of Luke Burgess, James Horwill and Lachie Turner, not forgetting Robbie Deans.

With Deans at the helm and plenty of talent coming through the system many see this as the start of Australia's rise to the top. It may be a little early for them to challenge for the title this year, but then again you should never write the Wallabies off. They still have a core of senior players who will lead both on and off the field and could prove invaluable as Deans looks to inject some life into the side. Expect another solid second place from Australia.

Captain: As he gets older he gets better, and when he goes Australia will struggle to replace Stirling Mortlock. He is one of those players who has the ability to create something out of nothing - time and again you will see him make half breaks that pave the way for more telling attacks.

Having been there and seen it all he is the ideal man to bring the fresh new faces through and help mould them into Test players. To see Mortlock's true worth you will need to watch Australia play without him, although Deans will be keeping his fingers crossed that he has his captain fit for the whole tournament.

_________________

Key Man:

Whilst Stirling Mortlock is vital to Australia's cause, it is his Brumbies team-mate George Smith who holds the key. With the ELVs speeding the game up the need for a recognised openside flanker is even greater now, and Smith is one of the finest around. At 27 and with to 85 Test caps to his name there are few with more experience, if not skill. If Australia are to mount a serious challenge then they will need Smith to be at his best, ably supported by his understudy Phil Waugh.

Rising Star: With only a handful of the squad over 25 there are plenty to pick from, however we have gone for scrum-half Luke Burgess. When one position is filled for so long, as was the case with George Gregan, it is never easy to step into the void left, which is exactly what Burgess is attempting to do. Two caps into his career and there is much promise for the young scrum-half, even if there are a few edges that need smoothing. His passing has come in for a bit of criticism since his debut but that will fix itself, what's more important is his running game. With ball in hand he is causing defences endless problems and if he continues to develop through the Tri-Nations, Australia will have found a long-term replacement for the hitherto irreplaceable Gregan.

Coach: In Robbie Deans Australia have struck gold, pure New Zealand gold. Here is a coach who, to date, has proved himself time and again with countless Super Rugby titles, and now he is embracing a bigger challenge. Test rugby is the ultimate test as a coach and Deans is determined to show he has what it takes, even if just to show New Zealand what they missed out on. Already we have seen Australia benefit from his knowledge, but it will take a little more time before the creases are ironed out and the Wallabies are competing regularly with the All Blacks.

Squad: Ben Alexander, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Adam Freier, Al Baxter, Benn Robinson, Berrick Barnes, Brett Sheehan, Cameron Shepherd, Dean Mumm, Digby Ioane, George Smith, James Horwill, Lachlan Turner, Lote Tuqiri, Luke Burgess, Mark Chisholm, Matt Dunning, Matt Giteau, Nathan Sharpe, Rocky Elsom, Peter Hynes, Phil Waugh, Richard Brown, Ryan Cross, Sam Cordingley, Stephen Hoiles, Stephen Moore, Stirling Mortlock (c), Tatafu Polota-Nau, Wycliff Palu.
_________________

TRI NATIONS:NEW ZEALAND

With the Tri-Nations set to kick-off in Wellington this weekend we are bringing you our unique team-by-team guide. This time it's New Zealand...

Last year: In a tournament where away wins are so paramount, New Zealand essentially had the tournament wrapped up by the second week when a late surge claimed a 26-21 win over South Africa in Durban. This was the team that was set to go on and win the World Cup, and their win in Durban underlined their apparent global superiority - the Boks were the only team thought capable of challenging them. The long return trip to Australia proved too much for the squad to handle and the All Blacks succumbed to a 20-15 defeat, running out of steam late in the game. But both home games were won comfortably, along with the tournament, in July.

This year: With so many of last year's squad moved on to other, more northerly, things, you'd be forgiven for expecting a lean period from the All Blacks. Think again. The new All Blacks put down a spirited Irish challenge before romping home in back-to-back wins over the English in June, and those two wins were marked by several tries in the limited space afforded by the old rules.

The thought of what the new All Blacks might do under the new rules is a little disconcerting for those who would take their crown. It's tricky to see the outsized Tri-Nations trophy going anywhere this year.

Captain: Richie McCaw was one of the hardy few not to stuff his wallet after the World Cup, and underlined his commitment to the All Black cause with a pair of truly magnificent performances against Ireland and England. A leader by example in the Johnson mould, he will be sorely missed during the first half of the tournament. Step up Rodney So'oialo, who leads the Hurricanes with the same quiet determination that McCaw shows, and now has his chance to add to his world reputation.

A ringing endorsement from John Smit on the eve of the Wellington Test, in response to criticism from Corne Krige, is proof enough of the respect the rugby world holds for him.
_________________

Coach:
Graham Henry survived the post World Cup fallout, despite the endless clamour for Robbie Deans and the obvious errors he made during 2007, and despite going through a rigorous re-application process. He appears thus to have out-smarted every one of his detractors since the defeat to France, having spent most of the four previous years out-smarting his opponents. Now comes his stiffest test yet, bringing through a new generation, finding the right mix to exploit the new rules, and facing off against the man most of New Zealand wanted to replace him. What a fabulous sub-plot that will be!

Key man: Dan Carter is so good that he becomes the first player to have a national union engineer a new type of contract so as to retain his services and allow him to make his million. Genius! As if he wasn't good enough at finding extra space anyway, he can now show off his talents with five extra metres at scrums and line-outs. Yikes!

Rising star: Adam Thomson announced his international presence to us with three distinct pieces of flawless positional play during his full debut against England a fortnight ago, in the midst of what was generally an excellent all-round display. A former sevens player, the flanker is possessed of plenty of pace and power, but over the next eight weeks it will be his game-play intelligence that will make him stand out from the crowd.

Squad: Adam Thomson, Ali Williams, Andrew Hore, Anthony Boric, Brad Thorn, Greg Somerville, Jerome Kaino, John Afoa, John Schwalger, Keven Mealamu, Neemia Tialata, Richie McCaw, Rodney So'oialo, Sione Lauaki, Tony Woodcock, Andrew Ellis, Anthony Tuitavake, Conrad Smith, Dan Carter, Jimmy Cowan, Leon MacDonald, Ma'a Nonu, Malili Muliaina, Richard Kahui, Rudi Wulf, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Stephen Donald.
_________________

Tri-Nations: South Africa

Friday 04th July 2008

With the Tri-Nations set to kick-off in Wellington this weekend we are bringing you our unique team-by-team guide. This time it's South Africa...

Last Year: It is fair to say it was a year to forget for South Africa as far as the abridged 2007 Tri-Nations went. After Francois Steyn dropped two late drop goals against Australia to seal victory in the opening game there were high hopes, sadly they didn't last long. New Zealand were next up for the Springboks - in what many saw as a warm-up for the World Cup Final - and despite a bright start South Africa didn't have what it took to overcome the All Blacks.

Then came the controversy as Jake White left the bulk of his first choice squad at home for the away leg of the tournament - this decision lead to several empty threats from Australia concerning boycotting future fixtures with the Springboks. South Africa were not as bad as expected, although they did lose both away games, condemning them to last place in the table. But they did have the last laugh in October.

This Year: Since the culmination of the 2007 Tri-Nations South Africa have won thirteen consecutive games, as well as the World Cup, leaving them in high spirits ahead of this year's tournament. Back to the extended format the Springboks start their challenge with a daunting away trip to face New Zealand, twice, and then Australia. New coach Peter de Villiers has the luxury of building on what Jake White achieved, although his squad for the opening two games has raised a few eyebrows.

Despite that, South Africa go to New Zealand believing they can record their first win there since 1998, especially given that the All Blacks will be without Richie McCaw. Several questions still hang over De Villiers and his long-term vision, a lot of which will be answered over the coming eight weeks. The honeymoon period is over and it's now time for the real tests to begin.

Captain: In John Smit South Africa have one of the game's great leaders. He may not be the player he used to be, but his influence as a captain grows stronger with each game. He proved against Wales in the first Test that he has the ability to mould a new and inexperienced team into seasoned winners. Tougher times lie ahead in the Tri-Nations, which are sure to test Smit as a captain, but South Africa could not ask for a better man to lead them.
_________________

Key Man:

When a side wins the World Cup certain players come under the spotlight, yet one man who constantly slips the radar is Juan Smith, which is odd considering his value to the Springboks. The bulk of his hard work will go unnoticed by most, which is a shame as he deserves the praise for all that is good about his game. Time and again we see him leading a mighty defensive effort, or charging out of defence with ball in hand, leading South Africa's push for victory. Again a lot will rest on his shoulders, not that he will complain, if South Africa are to bring the Tri-Nations back to the home of the world champions.

Rising Star: We haven't seen a huge amount of Andries Bekker in a Springbok shirt yet but there is huge potential for the tallest Springbok of all time. Picked on the back of a stunning Super 14 campaign, Bekker did enough in the first Test against Wales to show he is capable of replacing Victor Matfield, or Bakkies Botha if you think along those lines. His height makes him a great asset in the line-out and his work-rate is akin to having a fourth back row player on the field. Don't expect to see him start too many games, but by the end of the tournament he will be established in the squad and ready to mount a serious challenge for a permanent starting spot.

Coach: Much has been said about Peter de Villiers since he took over from Jake White, and not all of it to his face. It is difficult to judge him on what we have seen thus far, as even without a coach you would have expected South Africa to claim three wins. But now the real business starts, and De Villiers will either be found out or find his feet. His ideas are fresh and add an extra element to the Springboks' game, but ultimately against the best in the world he may be found wanting as a coach.

Squad: Andries Bekker, Bakkies Botha, Schalk Burger, Bismarck du Plessis, Ryan Kankowski, Tendai Mtawarira, Brian Mujati, Victor Matfield, Pierre Spies, Juan Smith, John Smit (c), Gurthro Steenkamp, CJ van der Linde, Joe van Niekerk, Luke Watson, Bolla Conradie, Jean de Villiers, Peter Grant, Butch James, Conrad Jantjes, Adrian Jacobs, Enrico Januarie, Bryan Habana, Percy Montgomery, Odwa Ndungane, JP Pietersen, Ruan Pienaar, Francois Steyn.
_________________

SANZAR hold expansion talks with Pumas

03/06/08

SANZAR (South African, New Zealand and Australian Rugby) officials met in Wellington on Tuesday and Wednesday with representatives from the Union Argentina de Rugby (UAR), Rugby Canada and USA Rugby to discuss expansion options for SANZAR's competitions.

SANZAR and SA Rugby Chairman Mpumelelo Tshume, SANZAR CEO and SA Rugby Managing Director Jonathan Stones, New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) CEO Steve Tew and Australian Rugby Union (ARU) Deputy CEO Matt Carroll held talks with UAR Council Member Ricardo Garcia Fernandez and fellow UAR representative Agustin Pichot; Rugby Canada Chairman Rick Bourne and CEO Graham Brown; and USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville.

Mr Stones said the discussions had been "constructive, open and frank."

"It was very much an information-sharing discussion with all parties. We gave an update on the state of SANZAR rugby at both Super 14 and Tri-Nations level and, in turn, each country presented their capabilities and vision for the future," Mr Stones said.

SANZAR has meetings scheduled with officials from Japan in Hong Kong later this month and with the Pacific Island nations of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.

Mr Stones said information from the meetings would be discussed at the next SANZAR workshop in Perth, Australia, on 15 - 17 July. Potential scenarios for SANZAR's future will be developed in more depth at the meeting.

SANZAR aims to have a range of proposals to present to broadcasters by no later than June 2009
_________________

Peview: New Zealand v South Africa

Friday 11th July 2008

From bitter cold to just plain bitter. Or from mildly unsavoury to nasty and sour. Whichever way you look at it though, the atmosphere surrounding the two Tests between the All Blacks and Springboks that have opened this year's Tri-Nations has deteriorated alarmingly.

Faults lie on both sides, but the pressure is always more on the losers to behave gracefully. Moaning about illegal scrums is a worn-out excuse, and John Smit's departure lounge double-standards rant was behaviour very unbecoming for an experienced captain. He has done his team no favours by lighting that fuse in the aftermath of the match when he can't be on the pitch to face the potential ensuing explosion.

But the All Blacks are no angels. It's not rocket science to target your opposition's best player, and so Dan Carter is always going to be under close scrutiny one way or another. Whining about that isn't going to help anyone's cause - it's odd enough that you should moan when you're winning so comprehensively anyway.

That was the usual boring guff.

The radio interview from Craig Dowd saying that Peter de Villiers was a political 'puppet' to SA Rugby, and the singularly revolting 'racism' reaction and counter-reaction in its aftermath is not the usual boring guff.

Just as Smit did to Corné Krige a week ago over some ill-chosen words, so Rodney So'oialo or even Richie McCaw should do to Dowd: namely tell him to shut up and shove off unless he has something substantial and relevant to Saturday's match to say.

Dowd may say that he was merely answering a question, but just because he is not contracted to the NZRU, it does not mean he does not have a responsibility to the game and to be respectful to visiting teams. The air between the teams was already thick, it thickened visibly on Thursday. It didn't need to

As for De Villiers, his reaction would be enough to practically cook his goose in any country other than South Africa. A national coach has a position of responsibility too; flinging around thinly-veiled accusations of racism while on tour is irresponsibility - or at the very least naivety - personified. He must know that his emotional reactions will transfer to his team, that if he loses control off the pitch, the team might lose control on it.

But he's not been helped by his overlords demanding public apologies when the dignified approach would have been haughty silence or even a sarcastic shrug of the shoulders.

But irresponsibility runs from the top downwards in SA Rugby; it's crazy that nobody was able to step in in time and say: "right boys, button the lips and let the boys do the talking on the park". Andy Marinos did on Friday, but far too late, and it shouldn't have been his job.

Let's have a look at the boys on the park anyway - there are far more problems there for the Boks to worry about than the taunts of an ex-international prop.

The imbalances of last week seem not to have been addressed. Butch James is still without a kicking number twelve to help ease the pressure. Percy Montgomery will step up at times to help him out, but it seems a complicated way of doing it when Francois Steyn could have simply slotted in and thus pushed Jean de Villiers outside one, thereby eliminating the fragile defence of Adi Jacobs.

Monty's inclusion at the expense of Conrad Jantjes, and the instatement of JP Pietersen - no games for a couple of months and only just back from a period of extra conditioning because he wasn't fit enough in June - is a slap in the face for Jantjes after his excellence last week. Couldn't Jantjes have offered more of the same from the wing, feeding off Monty's calm?

The props were crushed last week, yet the same props are chosen. The Boks needed more physicality in the loose, yet Pierre Spies is still ignored. The flaws in the team and the tactics were exposed last week, yet pretty much the same team and tactics are being offered up.

It makes Graham Henry's and New Zealand's job pretty easy. Changing Greg Somerville for John Afoa means there is a little more punch in the loose, going on Afoa's form against Ireland in June. That will compensate for the loss of Brad Thorn a touch as well. The drier conditions ought to mean we see a little more of the flair that is on show, especially with confidence levels soaring.

So, more of the same this week from both teams. Probably about the same result as well. But please let there be none of the off-field idiocy translating onto the pitch.
_________________

Ones to watch:

For New Zealand: John Afoa was in the middle of an excellent debut against Ireland when injury intervened. Afoa was New Zealand's top ball-carrying prop during this year's Super 14, and has long been waiting in the wings, boasting an impressive 60 Super Rugby caps at the age of just 24 as well as an impressive 120kg frame.

Attention from South Africa is focussing on Tony Woodcock's side of the scrum, but forgetting Afoa in the wake of this would be perilous. Watch for his extensive forays with the ball in hand as well.

For South Africa: JP Pietersen's recall from what was the outer edges of the Bok squad a little more than a month ago is a real eyebrow-raiser.

Peter de Villiers said he was out of condition after the Super 14 in which the youngster failed either to score a try or impress, unlike his counterpart Tonderai Chavhanga. It's been a month since then, maybe Pietersen is fit and has rediscoverd his mojo.

Head to head: Dan Carter v Butch James. The best in the world against... how do you classify Butch James? With the necessary support cast, James is a dominant force as he proved in the World Cup. But his is a fragile temperament; like many fly-halves, the team has to play to him for him to play to them back.

With an erratic scrum-half, with no kicking inside centre to take the pressure off him, and with the speed of the game increased under the ELVs, James faces a tough task in getting up to speed quickly enough to deal with the world's best. And when he's not, that old disciplinary worry is showing signs of blighting his game again.
_________________

Recent results:

2008 New Zealand won 19-8 in Wellington

2007 New Zealand won 33-6 in Christchurch

2007 New Zealand won 26-21 in Durban

2006 South Africa won 21-20 in Rustenburg

2006 New Zealand won 45-26 in Pretoria

2006 New Zealand won 35-17 in Wellington

2005 New Zealand won 31-27 in Dunedin

2005 South Africa won 22-16 in Cape Town

2004 South Africa won 40-26 in Johannesburg

2004 New Zealand won 23-21 in Christchurch

2003 New Zealand won 29-9 in Sydney (RWC)

2003 New Zealand won 19-11 in Dunedin

2003 New Zealand won 52-16 in Pretoria

2002 New Zealand won 30-23 in Durban

2002 New Zealand won 41-20 in Wellington

2001 New Zealand won 26-15 in Auckland

2001 New Zealand won 12-3 in Cape Town

Prediction: The sooner this Bok tour ends, the better. New Zealand by 20 points.
_________________

All Blacks will wait on McCaw

Tuesday 22nd July 2008

A final decision on whether Richie McCaw fronts up against Australia in the Bledisloe Cup opener on Saturday will be made by the injured All Blacks skipper himself.

After a month of inactivity, the inspirational flanker was bracketed with Daniel Braid at openside flanker for the Tri-Nations match in Sydney.

New Zealand Head Coach Graham Henry has rated McCaw a 50 per cent chance of playing, depending on further recovery from his ankle strain this week.

The All Blacks captain has been restricted to watching his team's two previous Tri-Nations matches from the sideline since rolling his ankle against England in the second Test in Auckland on June 21.

McCaw has surprised most of the rugby fraternity not only by returning to the training field this week, but also running strongly.

Henry was not so shocked, describing his skipper as a fast healer, but he acknowledged there would be a degree of risk in selecting the veteran of 62 Tests three weeks ahead of the encounter originally circled for his comeback in South Africa.

"He's 50-50 really. We'll see how he progresses for the rest of the week," Henry told NZPA.

"The expectation was that he wasn't going to be ready until next week (against Australia in Auckland) at the earliest.

"But he's got the determination and the desire to play, he's done all the rehab and he's making good progress."

No deadline had been set for the ultimate decision on McCaw or Braid, whose third and most recent All Black outing was nearly five years ago.

Henry suggested McCaw's own instinct would be decisive and he probably would not leave his call until Saturday.

"For Richie's sake, he will make a decision whether he's going to be competitive or not before that," said Henry.

"He's playing against two of the best sevens in the world - (George) Smith and (Phil) Waugh - and he doesn't want to be disadvantaged in that competition and he wants to make sure that he can be competitive.

"If he thinks he can be competitive, he'll play."

Either way, there will be five changes from the starting team who lost 28-30 to South Africa in Dunedin on July 12.

McCaw or Braid will replace Adam Thomson, Brad Thorn returns from suspension for lock Anthony Boric while veteran Greg Somerville replaces tighthead prop John Afoa.

In the backs, centre Richard Kahui will play in place of Conrad Smith while winger Anthony Tuitavake replaces Rudi Wulf, shifting Sitiveni Sivivatu from the right to left wing.

Of those changes, the axing of Smith is most contentious as he is enjoying a rich vein of form.

Assistant coach Wayne Smith based his confidence in Kahui on the 23-year-old's bright display form on debut in the second Test against England last month.

"It wasn't any lack of form from Conrad, I can tell you that," said Wayne Smith.

"They're both pretty young centres. Richard's played against (Mortlock) at Super 14 level. He plays with a lot of edge. We just feel for this game, this opposition on this track, he's the right selection."

Conrad Smith has at least made it on to the bench, with Leon MacDonald not considered for the matchday 22 as he is "pretty battered and bruised", according to Henry.

The only other injury issue surrounds ongoing ankle pain for lock Ali Williams, although Henry said he was feeling better this week than in the weeks leading up to the two South African Tests.

Meanwhile, Henry defended his team's decision to build up for the Bledisloe/Tri-Nations clash in Wellington until Thursday, saying it was made a year ago with the aim of keeping the players at home longer.

"They're travelling a lot and they're overseas a lot so it gives the Wellington boys an opportunity to be at home and it reflects what the Super 14 boys do too," said Henry.

"They're used to going on the Thursday to play on the Saturday."

The All Blacks had traditionally travelled to Australia early in Test week but often found logistics such as the quality and proximity of practice facilities did not match what was available at home.

The team trained in cold, wet conditions on Tuesday, evoking a wry smile from Henry.

"After today's training I thought it might have been pretty good to be in Sydney. It was mentioned by a number of the players."
_________________