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LONDON - Coach Graham Henry agrees there are psychological World Cup points to score during their tour of Europe but would be disappointed if anyone within the All Blacks rugby setup was thinking about it.
New Zealand can further crush downtrodden world champions England with a victory in
Monday morning's (NZT) tour-opening clash here while the two subsequent tests against France pits the teams most favoured to reach next year's World Cup final in France.
The tour ends against Wales in Cardiff.
Henry paused when asked if his team could gain the upper hand mentally on their chief European opponents by ending this month unbeaten.
"Probably. But at the end of the day you go out there and prepare well and do your best to play well," Henry said.
"You don't need to dwell on the psychology, it's not going to change the result or how you play.
"Everybody's fairly aware of that and you just need to concentrate on getting the preparation right."
Henry was in an upbeat mood today, despite the doubts that surround first five-eighth Nick Evans' participation at Twickenham.
The Otago first five-eighth damaged his hamstring during an intense training session and will be replaced by regular No 10 Daniel Carter if his recovery is slow.
Henry said his selection for Monday's test was unaffected by the makeup of a weakened England side as he spoke openly about his tactical approach to this tour.
The team to face France at Lyon next week was also pencilled in and would feature several changes.
They would then settle on their best team for the second French match at Paris on November 18.
The rotation policy had remained for the first two tests because of a short six-day turnaround before Lyon, Henry said.
It had subsequently changed "to a minor extent" their plan to treat the tour as a World Cup dress rehearsal.
The late addition of the England test will bring an enormous financial boost -- reportedly $1 million -- to the New Zealand Rugby Union through a shared revenue agreement.
"The rugby union is pretty keen on making sure that they can pay the players," Henry said.
"We were quite positive about that suggestion. We didn't have to do it, we made that commitment to do it."
Henry dealt with the inevitable British questions about New Zealand's World Cup drought and whether their achievements of the past three years ultimately meant little.
"We (coaches) have a dual role, to try and win test matches and develop players -- and enjoy the process," he said.
"I'm afraid in New Zealand, you need to win to survive.
"We just can't say we'll lie down for a few years and lose a few games just so we peak at the right time. You just can't afford to do that."
There was some brighter news for England today with experienced lock Ben Kay declaring himself fit to play after sustaining a dead leg playing for his club over the weekend.
"There has been some swelling down into the knee but that has gone," he told British journalists.
"I will be training properly tomorrow. I don't think there will be any problem."
The All Blacks will get a sneak preview of the New Zealand Memorial in Hyde Park on Friday morning (NZT).
The structure is a tribute to New Zealand and United Kingdom relations, commemorating the shared sacrifice of British and New Zealand service personnel and acknowledging the wider cultural, and economic ties between the countries.
It will be opened by Prime Minister Helen Clark in an official dedication ceremony on November 11, to be attended by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh along with more than 1000 invited guests and veterans.
- NZPA
