Cool heads as bodies burn in Bledisloe skirmish

It's all smiles for All Black coach Graham Henry (right) who has captain Tana Umaga fit to play. Picture / Reuters

The opening Bledisloe Cup skirmish tonight in Sydney will be a challenge for the calmest minds in a match which should also allow the victor to stay in the race for the Tri-Nations title.

It is a meeting of the vanquished, with the All Blacks and Wallabies cleaned out by their Springbok rivals and now facing season-shaping scenarios under the knockout pressure tonight.

The Wallabies have taken further hits with injury-forced changes to their backline, and the All Blacks have had to deal with a restricted build-up and the fatigue of travelling back from South Africa.

They are also facing a season-first demon of bouncing back from a loss, of dealing with that anxiety.

But they got a result yesterday when captain Tana Umaga declared himself fit after his ankle injury, restricting the All Black alterations to fullback and left wing.

The Wallaby changes are more extensive, with fullback Drew Mitchell and wing Mark Gerrard getting their first test starts, Stirling Mortlock reintroduced at centre and Matt Giteau asked to run the backline from first five-eighths.

Add the returns of David Lyons and Al Baxter and a positional shift for John Roe and it is asking a lot of the Wallaby combinations.

Umaga has not missed the option of paying special attention to the defensive qualities and nerves of Mitchell and Gerrard.

"The selectors for the Wallabies believe they are up to it. Our challenge is to see if they are," Umaga said.

He accepted that his side had placed a lot more demands on themselves after the 22-16 defeat at Newlands. They were dealing with that frustration and the sort of anxiety they experienced before the start of the Lions series.

Both sides offer similar physical attributes, so this will be an examination about whose composure lasts, which side can keep their brains on ice while their bodies burn.

Lions and Wales assistant Scott Johnson offered the prediction before last week that the All Blacks could be vulnerable because of their policy of trying different players. They were not the finished product as indicated in their series whitewash of the Lions.

"You may get them on an off- night, and I think they do scare if they're not scoring points. They do scare, because they don't realise that sometimes you have to grind it out to win it," said Johnson.

"If it's a tough game New Zealand start to doubt themselves. They're not insurmountable at all."

Johnson's forecast was as accurate as those of Laurie Mains for the Lions series.

The All Blacks were too impulsive in Cape Town, trying to push the play instead of working methodically or accurately. Umaga conceded that flighty finishing had to be rectified.

Giteau will be a target for the All Blacks. He is the solitary strong kicking option left for the Wallabies, the new playmaker, and if he can be disrupted the All Blacks will go a fair way towards finding a victory.

"He is a sharp player," coach Graham Henry said of Giteau. "I think he will chance his arm, but you can't change a lot in a week. I do not imagine there will be a huge change in the Wallaby gameplan."

If Giteau is hounded, the Wallabies are sure to have a similar ploy through George Gregan and George Smith for the raw talents of halfback Piri Weepu.

Cut him down or push him into dubious options and the Wallabies will feel they can strangle the attacking threat of the All Black backline.

Those are the individual moves in what will be a giant game of chess, where the All Black tight five have to consolidate or dominate for the rest of the side to profit. Chris Jack and Ali Williams were too quiet in Cape Town, Carl Hayman likewise.

"Bledisloe Cup, need you say more," Umaga said. "We worked so hard to get it back and now we have got to work even harder to keep it.

"It is up to us who did get it back to keep pushing that across to the young guys who were not there."

* Unwanted All Blacks John Afoa, Sione Lauaki, Conrad Smith and possibly others are likely to be released to play in the second round of the NPC.

* Telstra Stadium, Sydney, 10pm

All Blacks

Mils Muliaina
Rico Gear
Tana Umaga (c)
Aaron Mauger
Joe Rokocoko
Daniel Carter
Piri Weepu
Rodney So'oialo
Richie McCaw
Jerry Collins
Ali Williams
Chris Jack
Keven Mealamu
Tony Woodcock

Australia

Drew Mitchell
Mark Gerrard
Stirling Mortlock
Morgan Turinui
Lote Tuqiri
Matt Giteau
George Gregan (c)
David Lyons
John Roe
George Smith
Nathan Sharpe
Dan Vickerman
Al Baxter
Jeremy Paul
Bill Young

Reserves:

New Zealand: Derren Witcombe, Greg Somerville, James Ryan, Marty Holah, Kevin Senio, Luke McAlister, Leon MacDonald

Australia: Brendan Cannon, Mat Dunning, Mark Chisholm, Phil Waugh, Chris Whitaker, Clyde Rathbone, Elton Flatley