KEY POINTS:
Senior players and Kiwi greats Ruben Wiki, Stacey Jones and Nigel Vagana have been trying to heal the wounds within the Kiwis camp as the New Zealand team recover from the 58-0 hiding by Australia and growing reports that coach Gary Kemble is struggling to gain control of his team.
It's understood Kemble has not yet earned the respect of all his players, that some aren't convinced about his coaching abilities and that some of the youngsters have felt lost. Kemble has denied disunity and has taken full responsibility for some on and off-the-field faults in the build-up to the Australian test in Wellington.
Wiki, Jones and Vagana, in Britain as part of the All Golds team that played the much-anticipated centenary match overnight, have been talking to the team, urging players to build greater unity and support the coach as Kemble aims for an inaugural 3-0 test whitewash against Great Britain in the test series.
Kemble says he was too soft originally and is toughening up in several areas. But reports from close to the Kiwis camp say part of the problem was that some players did not take kindly to some new, tougher measures he introduced - including penalties for players late to trainings.
Some senior and some newer players were apparently involved and it is clear the team are still getting to grips with the loss of McClennan and the team spirit he built - something that often helped bridge the gap in ability with Australia.
Kemble feels he was too soft in the lead-up to the Australia test.
"I have taken full responsibility for the whole week and have taken steps to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.
"It's going to be the test of my coaching ability and I'm taking on that challenge.
"There were issues on and off the field during the week that, in hindsight, I should have stamped out early. I should have taken full control of everything. Simple as that. Not authority, just full control. Outside matters came to the fore, like the centenary celebrations, and I was soft on it rather than focusing on football. It's been a big learning curve for me."
An example of that soft approach was the cancellation of a training session after some players complained they were tired. Instead, they looked as if they could have done with more time training together, considering the number of new combinations.
Attitude and commitment were highlighted last week but Kemble denied disunity.
"There are no factions and it's just a case of being a closer-knit and more disciplined group," he said. "There has always been a good spirit. It's just that the new players didn't know how to adapt to that spirit. At the end of the day, a lot of players turned up with the right attitude but some didn't. Again, that's my responsibility that they all do."
Being closer-knit and more disciplined is where Wiki, Jones and Vagana came in.
Kemble's task was always going to be difficult, taking over from the popular and successful McClennan. Even more challenging was having to do so without some of the most experienced players in New Zealand rugby league history.
When McClennan took over in 2005, he had Wiki, Jones, Vagana, Nathan Cayless and David Kidwell, as well as vastly experienced club players. Those five have a total of 195 tests - considerably more than the current 23-man squad put together.
Wiki, Jones and Vagana have retired while Cayless picked up a serious injury in the NRL playoffs. Now Kidwell is returning to New Zealand to be with his sick mother - a massive blow to this team. That leaves an inexperienced group behind.
There were six debutants last weekend and 13 of the 17 who played have fewer than eight caps.
Wiki is the most significant absentee, more for his leadership than anything he does on the field. Roy Asotasi has a similar style, a follow-me-boys approach, but he is yet to develop into a strong leader off the field.
Wiki insisted on the team doing everything together and even attendance at kava sessions was compulsory, irrespective of whether players indulged in the drink.
He was disappointed to hear only a handful of players turned up for the session last weekend.
All Golds coach Wayne Bennett said he didn't have to do anything other than turn up to training sessions because Wiki had taken care of everything, including the gameplan.
"I can't babysit them forever," Wiki joked, but he knew he was needed.
"Nigel, Stacey and I had a word with some of the senior guys and tried to tell them what's missing," he said.
"But there's a big gap between test caps and in terms of seniority.
"There's a big hole that some of us have left. It's all about rebuilding - sticking together in the tough times and the good times. This is one of the tough times.
"It comes down to preparation. A lot of young guys are wearing the jersey for the first time so the senior guys need to use their voice so they are heard. But they are only new at it as well. When new ones came in before, they had someone to follow."
Kemble held individual meetings with all players, as well as others with management, Asotasi, the leadership group (Asotasi, Kidwell, Paul Whatuira, Dene Halatau and Simon Mannering) and even Bennett to ensure he was doing the right things.
"We are all in this together now and we are just focused on winning this test series and this first test as a start," Kemble said.
Centre Shontayne Hape emphasised the players needed to support Kemble. The 25-year-old was a feature of the Kiwis under McClennan and knows it will take a significant turnaround to win against Great Britain.
"Everyone needs to have a look at themselves in the mirror," Hape said. "What we dished out last week was pathetic, embarrassing.
"The sending off [of Steve Matai] was the major issue but the mental toughness wasn't there.
"As soon as he was sent off, the body language changed, heads went down and it felt like it was an excuse to drop off.
"When you pull on that jersey you go out and play for the 80 minutes because anything can happen. Everyone in the team is a professional athlete and they know what should have been done.
"Gary is his own person, and he does things his way, but the guys need to buy into what he's trying to teach us and play the way he wants us to play."
Kemble will add to the squad this morning after the All Golds match against the Northern Unions.
Without the injured Krisnan Inu and Luke Covell, and with Matai's shoulder operation and subsequent suspension, he's in desperate need of outside backs.
Clinton Toopi or Tame Tupou are the most likely additions.
This week looms as a big one for Kemble.
The result against Great Britain will go a long way towards defining him as a coach but the players need to respond well too.
