KEY POINTS:
The X-factor in the Kiwis camp is yet to raise a profile.
Wayne Bennett has had nothing to say to anyone but the players and coach Stephen Kearney during the build-up to New Zealand's opening World Cup game against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.
Since
May when the Kiwis threw the Centenary Test 28-12 with poor defence in the opening minutes, Bennett and Kearney have plotted for the end-of-year tournament.
They had players pencilled in for the game-plan they want to pursue and though some critical components in Roy Asotasi, Frank Pritchard and Brent Webb (injured) and Sonny Bill Williams (rugby) won't now be there, the programme remains the same.
The pair were bitterly disappointed with that slow start in May because it ended their chance to win, but were heartened they did not fold and came back to score 12 points to the Aussies' six in the second half. It gave them something to work on.
Kearney was somewhat in awe of Bennett when the pair first came together in the week leading up to the Anzac test, just four days given them to forge a team.
Now, with the longer preparation time and two warm-up matches , they are more confident the players will be able to put the game plan into action.
Captain Nathan Cayless underlined the impact Bennett has had in the Kiwis camp, especially in terms of attitude, approach and commitment. "Wayne doesn't muck around with his words. He let us know exactly what he expects and let us know exactly what he thought of our game in May. He was pretty disappointed in that game," Cayless said.
The former Australian coach's involvement in this centenary year World Cup is fitting as Kiwis have played and coached in Australia since the very beginnings of the game there.
Bennett has been totally committed to the task since he was introduced to this fact during his time with the All Golds last year when they commemorated the very first international rugby league tour with a game against a Northern Union selection.
After reading the book From All Blacks to All Golds by Cantabrian John Haynes, Bennett took to the task of promoting the international game.
Cayless, whose test career overlapped with that of Kearney, told how the coach had been meticulous in his planning and analysing of the opposition.
"Stephen was very disciplined when he was a player, very professional and he's brought that over to his coaching."
Cayless, Jeremy Smith, David Kidwell, Dene Halatau and Benji Marshall are the leadership group setting the tone for the young side.
There is confidence in the squad that they will compete better in the territorial stakes given the specialists they have at hooker, halfback and five-eighth for a change and that they have more pace in the backs to run down any Australian breakaways.
The Aussies have named four new boys in Anthony Laffranchi and Glenn Stewart in the back row, Josh Perry as bench prop and Joel Monaghan on the left wing.
The Kiwis see Laffranchi and Stewart as pressure points that can be smothered when in attack and forced into making errors. Monaghan is not as fast as most of his predecessors in that spot.
And at centre the Kangaroos run Greg Inglis who plays five-eighth at the Storm and team mate Israel Folau, neither of whom stood out in the NRL finals series.
The Kangaroos are missing seven from the May test: Mark Gasnier (rugby), Greg Bird (suspended), Ryan Hoffman, Michael Crocker, Justin Hodges, Willie Mason (injured) and Carl Webb (dropped). Back in are Darren Lockyer after injury and Steve Price and Brent Tate after the Warriors' good season with the new boys making up the replacements.
The Kiwis have seven changes from that game, going for Nathan Fien's experience over Isaac Luke at hooker and using Sika Manu ahead of David Fa'alogo.
With Webb, Asotasi, Pritchard and Iosaia Soliola out injured and Sonny Bill Williams just plain out of the picture, the key attacking weapons Benji Marshall, Steve Matai, Manu Vatuvei and Jerome Ropati return after missing in May with injury and Greg Eastwood and Sam Rapira earn selection again.
