No room for sentiment over Carlos

If Carlos Spencer plays against the Lions, it could be his swansong to New Zealand rugby.

New Zealand Maori coach Matt Te Pou said sentiment would play no part in deciding whether Carlos Spencer would get a starting spot against the Lions next weekend.

The match has been billed as Spencer's swansong to New Zealand rugby but Te Pou said he would be monitoring the flyhalf's form overnight in the Martin Johnson testimonial match before making any final decision.

"We'll be focused on the fact we want Carlos to come through without an injury," Te Pou said. "We're going to have a discussion on that. We said to our players in Fiji that there were a few things we wanted out of this game and the first one was a win.

"We want to go back over that game so that when we select the XV it is the best XV by performance. Carlos is up for selection and, all going well, he'll come through the game well.

"We stated that yesterday after the game [that selection] was by performance. Those players who put their hand up are still in the camp."

Aiding Spencer's selection prospects will be the fact David Hill took a knock to the neck against Fiji. Hurricanes utility back Riki Flutey has been kept in the squad as cover in case Spencer gets injured overnight.

Te Pou said this full-strength Maori squad was the one he'd been waiting to pick for a long time, and one he thinks has given them a huge opportunity to beat the British and Irish side.

"We came close against Australia in 2001 but we still had a couple of guys out with the All Blacks. This time we've got first call. It makes us feel good to at last be having the best."

The Maori have never beaten the Lions but Te Pou said the weight of history won't have any negative affect on his squad.

"All coaches coach with the view that success is inevitable. There's nothing worse than saying: 'Hey, we're playing the Lions, shit they're big, they're going to smash us in the forwards'. We don't go out like that."

The fact his team just scraped home against a fired up Fiji was also an irrelevance, according to the coach.

"You play them here at home, I mean last time France were here they went down, Scotland went down, I think Ireland did too. The last time the ABs were here they just got out of jail in Suva.

"At home they really lift their game.

"They've been heavily influenced here... [by] Brad Johnstone, Mac McCallion and now Wayne Pivac. It's taken a period of time but now they're starting to see the benefits of that."

Flanker Wayne Ormond, who led his Bay of Plenty team against the Lions in Rotorua last night, has also been selected for the Maori.

Te Pou's squad has been boosted by Crusaders players Corey Flynn, Rico Gear, Caleb Ralph and Leon MacDonald, who were all rested in Suva.

He said the victory and the arrival of the Crusaders four will have a big boost on the squad's confidence ahead of the Lions. "We got a lot of confidence out of that game."

The 22 named today include 12 players with All Blacks experience.

NZ Maori squad to play the Lions on June 11:

Backs: Leon MacDonald, Rico Gear, Neil Brew, Caleb Ralph, Rua Tipoki, Luke McAlister, David Hill, Carlos Spencer, Piri Weepu, Craig McGrath.
Forwards: Angus MacDonald, Marty Holah, Daniel Braid, Wayne Ormond, Jono Gibbes (captain), Ross Filipo, Sean Hohneck, Deacon Manu, Greg Feek, Carl Hayman, Corey Flynn, Scott Linklater.