KEY POINTS:
A training mishap for Leon MacDonald has the All Black selectors rethinking their backline for tomorrow's Bledisloe Cup start against the Wallabies at the McG.
MacDonald left practice early, complaining of a sore groin muscle, and while he was to be further assessed this morning the fullback's chances
of starting his 48th test look remote.
His absence and that of the injured Sitiveni Sivivatu, Isaia Toeava and Doug Howlett on paternity duty, will put extra pressure on combinations in a rejigged backline.
Aaron Mauger may come off the bench to second five-eighths, Luke McAlister shift to centre and Mils Muliaina could go back to fullback.
However if the selectors picked the backline to perform specific strategies, they could leave it and elevate Nick Evans to fullback.
Other less likely solutions would be to promote Mauger and use McAlister at fullback or switch Rico Gear to centre, where he spent the last 30 minutes of the test against Canada, and play Evans on the wing.
Meanwhile, captain Richie McCaw does not believe his Tri-Nations rivals have agendas to rub him out of the game but has urged match officials to keep closer scrutiny on "cheap shots" in the series.
McCaw preferred to take a generous view that he took a pounding because of his role as flanker in the combat and collision zones. It was aggravating but he did not think he was a specific target.
McCaw was punched off the ball last week by Springbok loose forwards Schalk Burger and Bobby Skinstad and a year ago against the Wallabies he was felled late and high by Phil Waugh and spear-tackled by Lote Tuqiri.
After last week's test in Durban, teammate Mauger spoke of his worries for his captain's safety as he took the brunt of some roughhouse off-the-ball play.
Coach Graham Henry urged extra vigilance from officials in this World Cup year.
"There's nothing worse than getting clobbered off the ball when you're not expecting it.
"That's the worst thing that can happen in rugby. They're called cheap shots," Henry said.
McCaw attempted to hose down any talk about him being a target.
"I don't think it is too much different to usual, these tests have always been the same since I started playing," he said.
The stakes were higher than the Super 14, the intensity increased, the conflict was fiercer and flankers were always in the combat zone.
"There was a bit of niggle last week but no different to what it has been in the past I don't think," he said.