KEY POINTS:
There is no sign of anxiety from Byron Kelleher that he might fall victim to a World Cup quirk. Not like the shock his selection created for the 1999 World Cup semifinal against France when he was preferred to the seasoned Justin Marshall.
Kelleher was a tyro at
that tournament. He had started just one test but was picked for the fateful semifinal. Marshall was furious and there was some messy fallout.
Young Andrew Ellis is steaming into the halfback picture for the All Blacks and could, given Piri Weepu's form and reaction to his omission for this week's second test against France, push Kelleher all the way.
If that did happen, and you have to take Kelleher at face value, the older halfback would accept the decision if the World Cup was won.
"I am not quite sure what happened in'99," Kelleher said. "I think he [coach John Hart] was looking for a bit of an X-factor there, or something that was different that the All Blacks could offer for that semifinal.
"I thought I went alright and so did the coaching staff. I was in good form and I was an unknown character and I suppose they went for a bit of a surprise there."
Kelleher said it was a huge call. He was given limited notice about taking centre stage at Twickenham. He was young and faced a lot of pressure and, in hindsight, probably felt it would have been better if he had been introduced from the bench.
"Maybe that would not have then created the animosity or regret that was in there."
Kelleher has been around the All Blacks since 1998 and, with former skippers Anton Oliver and Reuben Thorne, is a survivor from the World Cup campaign the following year which was sabotaged by the French.
The halfback remains a bouncy character, someone who has a lot to his game though you sometimes wonder if he sticks too rigidly to the script. As an enduring All Black he is being asked to give a great deal of himself for the next World Cup cause.
He speaks glowingly of the unity which has developed in the squad, how individuals are sharing their expertise and knowledge rather than fighting their own selection corners.
"It is more player driven, with a lot of strategy directed by the coaches, and as a player you feel you are contributing to the cause rather than turning up and being told what to do."
A down side for any player could be their demotion but, according to Kelleher, that is an accepted part of the deal.
This latest group of All Blacks was the best rugby environment he had experienced.
That was no slight on the last two World Cup campaigns, but this time it is different and the All Blacks are more a team than a collection of individuals.
Each player faced all sorts of challenges but the philosophy was all about developing the team for the target of the World Cup. "I try to make sure I take a little bit from everyone and implement it to my own strategy towards coming to the top of my game," said Kelleher.
"Of course natural athletes go through flat periods but, if you look at the majority of their career and their character, it is always great to see them come back or make sure they are in top form at the right times."
Kelleher, who met his 1999 foe Fabien Galthie the other day at training, tried to use that semifinal blemish as a positive mental weapon.
"It is a scarring, of course, but a good scarring," he said.
"Because it is something that sits in the back of your mind and I think that is good for someone like myself who, let's face it, has probably got his last chance to win a World Cup.
"I can take a bit of that hurt and experience as well and deflect it to the rest of the team and hopefully help us win the World Cup."
So far so good. The strategy of the coaching staff had been very productive and reconditioning windows like next year should have the squad on track to be in the best physical and mental shape for the tournament.
"I am a pretty excited sort of a character, pretty energetic and sometimes that is reflected in my performances being either too full on or too overexcited. But I am knocking on the door of 30 now."
Failures like 1999, 2003 and the loss to the Springboks this season were remembered. They were used as examples of not getting ahead of themselves.
"With the World Cup, it is about being the best team for that competition - not just being the best team in the world," Kelleher said.
"So we are just making sure that we understand the failures that have happened for the All Blacks over the last two World Cups will not repeat themselves again next year.
"We are very conscious of that."
Kelleher's immediate task was to push himself and the All Blacks to equal or better the standards the side set last week in Lyon.
"France are a unique team. They have been thrashed plenty of times before and then pulled one out of the bag. There is no doubting they can come back. We have been reinforcing that all week, saying that these guys do not fall over easy.
"You know, 1999, 2000 in Marseille and then they have done it against other teams. It has happened to us when we have been too comfortable with where we are at. We got knocked over in Rustenburg where we were our own worst enemy and we do not want to do that again."
