Campo bemoans lack of backline fizz but still picks Wallaby victory

By WYNNE GRAY

Former great David Campese laments the lack of backline creativity in the Wallabies but still insists they will retain the Bledisloe Cup in Sydney on Saturday night.

However, Campese now feels the Wallabies will win by 10 points rather than the 20-point gap he thought before they struggled home against the Springboks.

"We still have the All Blacks' measure out wide," he said.

Campese may want to adjust his thinking again today if the All Blacks select Tana Umaga as centre for Saturday's winner-take-all clash.

There are strong indications Umaga has been primed for this test and will replace Mark Robinson when the side is announced. That selection was delayed to give injured forwards Mark Hammett and Norm Maxwell the chance to prove their fitness.

Both trained during a second session yesterday, but a final assessment has been left until today.

About the same time, the Wallabies will be checking on the health of utility back Mat Rogers who damaged a calf muscle in training.

Andrew Walker is on standby, though there are suggestions that if Rogers is ruled out, Wendell Sailor might yet be brought on to the bench.

As those rearrangements were being contemplated Campese deplored the lack of invention in the Wallaby backs. He blamed former coach Rod Macqueen for coaching the creativity out of the backline.

"They seem to wait for Stephen Larkham to do all the creative work," he said. "There was one period [in the test against the Springboks] when Australia had no options. They just bashed it up."

Coach Eddie Jones suggested Saturday's showdown would not be marred by the violence which has accompanied the Springboks in their Tri-Nations matches.

"The common denominator in all those goings-on was South Africa. Australia and New Zealand are all about good, hard physical rugby.

"And a more positive attitude from those two nations leads to a more positive environment."

The All Blacks were shying away from any controversy yesterday. Manager Andrew Martin had no comment on Ben Tune's continued Tri-Nations involvement after revelations of a cover-up about the wing being treated with a banned substance.

The All Blacks have also alerted Australian media there will be no interviews when they arrive at Sydney tomorrow, which is sure to provoke an even greater media presence at Kingsford Smith Airport.

Meanwhile, momentum continues to gather among provincial unions for more scrutiny into the actions of the NZRFU board after the Eichelbaum Report into the loss of the World Cup.

Solutions were varied among the provinces, but there was a central theme to their calls for more change than just the exit of chief executive David Rutherford and chairman Murray McCaw.

Some unions, such as Auckland, are keen to see the board's structure reviewed first, while others, initially, want all directors to be made to stand for re-election.

The provinces will reconvene on August 6 to discuss their plans.