Deans plays it close to chest

By WYNNE GRAY

BIARRITZ - What can be read into the latest New Zealand selection to play France A tomorrow?

Not a lot, according to coach Robbie Deans, who has a knack of talking eloquently but giving little away.

He also has to keep the heat on his young squad before he decides on the tour best for the final game against Romania.

"I have got faith in all these guys," said Deans, warming to his rhetoric. "All have been chosen because of their ability."

Indeed, this tour is a sifting process for Deans and assistant Steve Hansen. They have watched all of them during the Super 12 and NPC, but only have hands-on experience with those from the Canterbury area.

They have to discover how much more they produce with their coaching methods from a group of new individuals.

A match summary so far would read: reasonable first half against French Barbarians, a fine last 15 minutes against Wales A.

Deans concurs. He liked the way some fast ball helped his backs in the first spell against the Barbarians, before the team were denied the ball.

"I think the stats tell us that from the 54th to the 70th minute, Mark Robinson did not touch the ball," he said. "Then in the last part at Cardiff there was an element of continuity we were seeking.

"The players started to believe in themselves there. They started to play with a rhythm rather than as a group of individuals."

Deans has kept some combinations like the inside back group. Tony Brown is still not able to use his tender shoulder for contact work, so it was decided to keep the Hurricanes pair of Jason Spice and David Holwell going.

Ben Blair, Scott McLeod and Caleb Ralph are the only three to have started each game, while the selectors have chosen to persevere with the twin openside flanker system of Kupu Vanisi and Justin Collins, who finished the game at Cardiff.

"We want to transfer that last 10 minutes at Cardiff to this game," skipper Glenn Taylor said.

The French tried to physically target individuals and NZ A had been disheartened by their work against that sort of opposition in the game at Lens. Tomorrow is an opportunity for redemption.

NZ A: Ben Blair, Malili Muliaina, Caleb Ralph, Justin Wilson, Scott McLeod, David Holwell, Jason Spice, Kelvin Middleton, Kupu Vanisi, Dion Waller, Glenn Taylor (captain), Justin Collins, Carl Hayman, Slade McFarland, David Hewett. Reserves: Mark Robinson, Orene Ai'i, Rico Gear, Koula Tukino, Royce Willis, Nick White, Keven Mealamu.

href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=159627&thesection=Story&thesubsection=&reportID=56528">Test schedule/scoreboard