All Black eyes aren't smiling

By WYNNE GRAY

Flick back a couple of tests for a comparable All Black crumple. Buenos Aires last season was bad and Dunedin on Saturday was a dud.

Make of it what you will, but 10 All Blacks who felt the hot breath of Los Pumas in a dramatic 24-20 win returned for the spotty 15-6 victory against Ireland on Saturday night.

Even the quotes from coach John Mitchell were a mirror image, the only variation being an excuse about fatigue against Argentina.

It was a shabby evening's work, but before the whining morphs into an uncontrollable whingathon, there are a few things to remember.

Once the All Black squad were named, there was nationwide consensus that the selection panel had found the best available 26 players. Combinations within that group were open for robust discussion, but it was a case of juggling the same names.

Once again Carisbrook confirmed that the aura around the All Blacks has gone and the fear factor that inhibited many of their opponents has disappeared. Get used to it, New Zealand.

After trying a mix'n'match mob at Hamilton, the coaches wheeled out the Crusaders for the opening test against Ireland.

For the second test at Eden Park this Saturday, they have restored Mark Robinson and Simon Maling to the squad, leaving Christian Cullen to play club rugby and sending Tana Umaga, Taine Randell and Kees Meeuws to play for the Barbarians against the Maori on Friday.

Umaga was pulled after 57 minutes on Saturday, his fitness not quite back after time out with a knee ligament strain. The latest cull means even more of a Crusader influence, with 15 in the 22.

"If we are going to get the delivery of performance that we are after, we need to be consistent with our selection," Mitchell said. "We were not entirely satisfied with the performance at Carisbrook but we are giving the players another chance."

After a similar scare at the same venue a decade ago, All Black coach Laurie Mains made six changes to his side and they obliterated Ireland 59-6 a week later.

Mitchell will reveal his second test group tomorrow after their mates somehow scraped a win in Dunedin, taking two fine tries on offer, while the sympathy went the way of the men in green.

Ronan O'Gara could not kick the adidas lemon between the sticks, Geordan Murphy missed a try to a hairline decision and several other tries were a fingertip from completion.

Only lack of finesse and fortune prevented Ireland taking their first All Black scalp.

The Raging Potato, aka that marvellous hooker Keith Wood, and Brian O'Driscoll, the only player who wore mitts, were the standout individuals as Ireland took the All Blacks out of their comfort zone.

The visitors intimidated in the forwards, where the All Blacks were passive. The role reversal mocked a media guide that said there was a worrying feebleness about the Irish front row.

After Mitchell's remark that the All Black scrum was "unacceptable" against Italy in Hamilton last week and after the messy work in Dunedin, his choice for Eden Park will bring extra scrutiny.

In Hamilton it was possible to see different styles developing. After splitting the Italian defence with ease out wide, the All Blacks stopped that tactic and tried to develop rolling mauls and second-wave attacks.

At Carisbrook their battle plan seemed strangely at odds with the conditions. Okay, they thought they were good enough to pursue attacking adventure, but after the first quarter it was clearly counterproductive. Yet there was no discernible change to the game plan.

Take your pick about whether it was a sign of arrogance, lack of respect or tactical naivety.

It did raise questions about the messages coming from new captain Reuben Thorne. What were his demands and why was there not a more marked change after the halftime meeting with the coaching staff?

"We expected the Irish fury but conditions made it harder to deal with," was Thorne's comment.

Conjecture about whether a Crusaders-laden side would be able to translate Super 12 dominance into test superiority is still open for debate.

If those comparisons are to be used, the Crusaders started the Super 12 muckily against the Highlanders before running into rich form on their unbeaten voyage.

This time their linchpin, All Black maestro Andrew Mehrtens, had an untidy test. His distribution was scratchy, he did not command the field with his boot, his decisions were not his best. It showed how much both sides rely on the Canterbury field-marshal.

All Black squad: Leon MacDonald, Doug Howlett, Jonah Lomu, Caleb Ralph, Mark Robinson, Daryl Gibson, Aaron Mauger, Andrew Mehrtens, Byron Kelleher, Justin Marshall, Scott Robertson, Marty Holah, Richard McCaw, Reuben Thorne (capt), Simon Maling, Norm Maxwell, Chris Jack, Greg Somerville, Dave Hewett, Joe McDonnell, Mark Hammett, Tom Willis.