All Black coaches poised to wield axe

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Patience has run out for the All Blacks coaches, who are poised to wield the axe on their underperforming team for Saturday's final Tri-Nations rugby test against Australia here.

The 32-29 loss to South Africa in Hamilton over the weekend was the last straw for a coaching panel who have overseen four losses this year in eight tests, all of which have failed to match the high standards set in recent years.

While the Wallabies today named an unchanged team, up to a third of the New Zealand starting 15 look like being overhauled in tomorrow's announcement.

Selection was delayed by a day to allow Graham Henry and assistants Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen more time to mull how many of the starting 15 to push through the guillotine.

They needed to observe a two-hour training run today before unleashing the red pen.

"Some players here have had a lot of opportunity this year," Smith said.

"But some things never change, it's not how many games you have in the jersey, it's what you do in it that counts.

"We've just got to make sure that we're raising the standards and if that means changes in personnel, then that's what we'll do."

Players were interchanged regularly during today's session at Porirua Park but if time in the first-choice team's grey training jersey - as opposed to the yellow bib of the opposition - is any guideline, then there will be two changes to the forward pack and three to the backline.

Prop Neemia Tialata could earn a surprise recall in place of young tighthead Owen Franks while Adam Thomson seems set to be named on the blindside flank ahead of the out-of-sorts Jerome Kaino.

Out wide, Isaia Toeava will probably be injected at centre, with Ma'a Nonu shuffled back to second five-eighth in place of the struggling Stephen Donald.

Two changes could come on the wing, where the injured Sitiveni Sivivatu and Joe Rokocoko may well make way for Wellington pair Cory Jane and Hosea Gear.

"I don't want to say there's any element of panic but it's the reality that we've got a big test on the weekend and we've got to pick the right people to go out there and do it," Smith said.

"We just want to make sure that everyone's earning the jersey, earning the right to be out there and is able to execute more accurately than we've done."

Smith said faith in players who aren't performing the core skills well could only last so long and some had crossed that line.

"There's a certain point when you've got to make some tough decisions and that's where we're at," Smith said.

"We didn't play as well as we wanted to against South Africa.

"I don't think there was anything wrong with the attitude, I think the effort and everything was fine.

"But that's not all that's required. You've got to be able to be composed, make the decisions, execute under pressure and we didn't always do that.

"Just by not naming the team and changing them around at training, that puts them on notice."

While South Africa claimed the Tri-Nations on Saturday, Smith said that would have no bearing on the desire to prevail this week.

Thus, experimentation would not be behind any of the changes.

"What's the Tri-Nations? We're playing a test match," Smith said.

"Tri-Nations is a consequence of doing well in your test matches. Test matches are what it's about.

"There's no element of trial and error, we want to get the best people for the job on Saturday out there."

Smith said the Tri-Nations involved the world's three premier teams and it was more apparent than ever that substandard rugby of any sort is quickly exposed by the opposition.

He doesn't believe the All Blacks are far behind the Springboks and likewise feels Australia are more than capable of toppling both their rivals.

"We've won the Bledisloe Cup but they (wins in Auckland and Sydney) have been tight matches and in the first half we didn't play accurately in either of those."

- NZPA