Securing Tri-Nations title first priority

The All Blacks are ready and willing to adhere to a safety-first approach and keep an expansive game plan under wraps as they seek to secure the Tri-Nations rugby title before heading to South Africa.

Victory in tomorrow's Bledisloe Cup finale with Australia will give the All Blacks an insurmountable lead before they embark for the high veld and back-to-back tests against the Springboks.

Unbeaten in three outings this campaign -- and seeking a 14th consecutive test win -- the All Blacks have based their silverware defence more on power and persistence than panache.

Backs coach Wayne Smith predicted more of the same when the All Blacks try to preserve a two-decade long unbeaten run against the Wallabies at Eden Park.

Though blessed with premier finishers on the flanks and an inventive midfield, tries have been relatively hard to come by for the All Blacks since they nailed a bonus-point yielding four tries in the first Bledisloe Cup encounter in Christchurch on July 8.

Since then the All Blacks have crossed just three times -- twice against South Africa in Wellington, while Joe Rokocoko snapped his 12-month scoring drought with the solitary five-pointer when the Bledisloe Cup was retained in Brisbane last month.

To date 16 touchdowns have been made in six tests against Ireland, Argentina and their Tri-Nations rivals. Seven tests remain on the schedule this year.

Still, the backplay has not yet approached the fluidity of last season where 55 tries were scored in 12 tests though that tally was inflated by a 15-try, 91-0 romp over Fiji.

Smith admitted some shortcomings but remained content ahead of the final hit out against a well-drilled Wallabies defensive screen.

"We haven't attacked off set pieces as we did last year but it's not through a lack of desire to.

"It's just how the games have panned out. We play to win and we've had to take conservative decisions to win some of these matches."

While Dan Carter has not been lining up conversions with monotonous regularity, the collective defensive effort of the back division has delighted Smith.

"We've been playing with a lot of character and spirit .

"This team has been able to dig deep and win games that perhaps in the past we'd have lost.

"We did score a lot of tries last year, sometimes we hardly kicked at all, they resembled festival games -- we haven't reached those heights but we're working hard at it and we're winning games under pressure."

A more measured approach was part and parcel of strategising for next year's World Cup -- a tournament where a steely defensive system is imperative during the knockout stages.

Smith conceded attacking moves were also been held back, hardly a surprise as "everyone is doing that" a year out from the World Cup.

The rotation policy has also had a bearing on the back division's return given combinations have not been able to gel over successive tests.

Centres Ma'a Nonu, Casey Laulala, Mils Muliaina and Isaia Toeava have all been given the chance to feed four interchangeable wings while the midfield has seen Aaron Mauger and Sam Tuitupou share the No 12 jersey.

Mauger was given the nod to play alongside Toeava but the 36-test midfield general must first pass a fitness on a niggling groin injury today.

The Cantabrian pulled out of training early on Wednesday and took only a limited part in proceedings last night.

Smith was optimistic Mauger would be available.

"He's OK running in a straight line, so the signs are good," he said.

Mauger and Toeava were deliberately paired to ease the 20-year-old rookie through the biggest challenge of his three-test career.

Smith doubted Toeava would be adversely affected if Mauger failed to make the cut and needed replacing by Luke McAlister or Sam Tuitupou -- who have both played just eight tests.

"The idea of creating two players in each position, 30 genuine test players is to cover this sort of situation," he said.

"There's a lot more trust today than there would have been a year ago."

- NZPA