KEY POINTS:
MARSEILLE - They may be the smallest speed bump on the road to the rugby World Cup quarterfinals, but that didn't stop Portugal coming under close inspection from the All Blacks coaching staff today.
Coach Graham Henry, assistant Wayne Smith and others made the two-hour trip north of
their Marseille base to St Etienne to see a patchy Scotland overwhelm the Portuguese, 56-10.
The suspicion is that they were mainly there to assess the Scots, who are New Zealand's third pool C opponents, eight days after the match with Portugal's Los Lobos in Lyon on Saturday (NZ time).
Whatever the coaches gleaned, Smith said it was secondary to getting the All Blacks' minds focused back on themselves this week - making sure headlines lauding the 76-14 thrashing of Italy here on Saturday became newspaper wrapping at the numerous fish markets in Marseille.
"That's what we have to do - take our eye off the other dugout and respect the fact that's going to be a big game for them and try to get our standards up," Smith said.
"That means that all week there has to be an accuracy in our training that's really high and a step up from last week.
"We like to try to honour the game and think if we do that and keep working on our own standards then it will honour us."
How much good Henry and his selectors will take from a one-sided romp three weeks out from their quarterfinal is questionable.
Henry has already expressed concern that the All Blacks could be underdone entering the knockout phase and hinted strongly that he would like to see Scotland field their best team in Edinburgh on September 23, rather than the second-choice lineup most are predicting.
He also described Portugal and final pool opponents Romania in a charitable fashion, a sure-fire acknowledgement that there will be no pool challenge for New Zealand outside the possibility of stern Scottish resistance.
"Portugal and Romania are countries that will look forward to playing the All Blacks. It will be a positive experience for them and they'll develop as a rugby nation through having those sort of games," Henry said.
"That's what the World Cup's about, trying to lift the overall standard up higher.
"We'll obviously look at those games and play them according to what we think is the best policy. There will be some sensitivity there, but not a huge amount."
The team to face Los Lobos was to be named tomorrow night (NZ time) and will feature mass changes from the Italy thrashing as the selectors seek to give every fit players game time in the first two outings.
A question mark hovers over whether hamstring strain sufferers Conrad Smith and Reuben Thorne will be risked at either centre or lock respectively in Lyon. They were to complete "managed training" early this week.
Assistant coach Wayne Smith said there was no way the pair would be unnecessarily risked against Portugal although he gave them some chance of being selected, which may result in a bracketing tomorrow.
"We want to give them a game when they're right," he said.
"The question is are they going to be able to play or not and at this point we think they are and we've all got our fingers crossed for that."
Lock Keith Robinson has already been ruled out, meaning a probable second start for locks Ali Williams and Chris Jack, while it may well be flanker Jerry Collins who goes around again if Thorne is sidelined once more.
Either Collins or Aaron Mauger would be captain in that scenario while Richie McCaw rests.
Either Mils Muliaina or Leon MacDonald will back up for a second game, at fullback.
One of the wingers will have to play again, possibly Doug Howlett, handing him a great chance to break Christian Cullen's All Blacks test tryscoring record.
Possible starting 15:
Mils Muliaina, Doug Howlett, Isaia Toeava, Aaron Mauger, Joe Rokocoko, Nick Evans, Andrew Ellis, Sione Lauaki, Chris Masoe, Jerry Collins, Ali Williams, Chris Jack, Greg Somerville, Andrew Hore, Neemia Tialata.
- NZPA
