Countdown to the test: Kiwis make approach to Henry Paul

Coach Daniel Anderson yesterday revealed that the Kiwis sounded out former international Henry Paul about a return to league.

Paul is playing with the Gloucester rugby club in England after switching codes two years ago in an attempt to play at this year's World Cup.

The 29-year-old was a regular in the New Zealand No 6 jersey before converting and Anderson said one of the first things he did when he got the national job was to find out whether Paul was available for the clash with the Kangaroos on Friday night.

"There was too many hurdles in his contractual obligations for him to come and play league. I figured it was a 1000-1."

Paul missed out on the 43-man preliminary England World Cup squad named this month, leading to renewed speculation he could be on his way back to league. He would have been the ideal answer to the Kiwis' shortcomings at five-eighth.

Andersons blooded

Daniel Anderson says his two oldest daughters know the New Zealand anthem well as a result of attending school in Auckland.

He hasn't broached the subject of his coaching of the transtasman opponents with his Sydney-based parents.

"But I think it will be all right," he says, telling of some undetermined Maori bloodlines in the family via a grandparent. "I think I'm about one-eighth."

The big red cover-up

Staff at test venue Aussie Stadium have been busy testing for the rugby World Cup advertising cover-up.

The stadium, festooned with slogans and logos for Mitsubishi, Coca-Cola, Victoria Bitter, Slazenger and other corporates, is the venue for eight preliminary World Cup games.

Red covers have been purpose-made for easy concealment of those advertisers who are not in on the league sponsorship deal.

Taking sides

Geoff Cowley is an Australian, an old school buddy of Daniel Anderson and one of the guys known as "Ando's Army" who help the Warriors with travel, accommodation, training and a myriad other arrangements when they're in Sydney.

He has stunned Kiwi team management with the tape running in his car: It's the New Zealand national anthem and he's learning it so he can sing it before Friday night's clash.