KEY POINTS:
Newly contracted All Black hooker Andrew Hore concedes the improved Wallabies scrum has put more heat into the Bledisloe Cup series and should provide another great skirmish for this weekend's repeat at Eden Park.
Hore was protecting his bruised hip yesterday but was optimistic he would mend quickly to be picked when both sides are revealed today for Bledisloe II in Auckland on Saturday.
Just in case, the All Blacks whistled up young Hawkes Bay hooker Hikawera Elliot to train with the squad while former national halfback Piri Weepu was also at practice because Andrew Ellis and Jimmy Cowan were dealing with rib and leg injuries from the 34-19 defeat in Sydney.
Regular skipper Richie McCaw ran for some of the session but looked as though he was still favouring his tender ankle while lock Ali Williams also trained away from the group because of his ongoing ankle problems.
Hore offered the thought that both sides were probably content with their scrum work and that would be another pivotal part of this Saturday's rematch.
"I think a lot of scrums have been catching up on what has been going on," he said. "Obviously we play each other in the Super 14 all year and they get the gist of what is going on so they have improved a little bit and hopefully we can front up this week."
The All Blacks will undergo a week of pressure and soul searching because their accuracy and tactics fell away in the last quarter of the Sydney test after they had tried to run the Wallabies off the park. A revision of those methods will be part of this week's strategies once both teams are revealed today.
Hore has started all six tests this year, keeping the heavily-capped Keven Mealamu on the bench. Whether that order remains will be known today but Hore said he was desperate to play after being third or fourth choice for so many seasons.
He signed on again yesterday with the New Zealand Rugby Union, extending his contract through to the next World Cup while other young All Black forwards Adam Thomson and Anthony Boric took on contracts through to the end of the 2010 season.
Hore said it would have been easier to have played overseas rather than live and work on his farm in rural Otago, play for Taranaki in the NPC, the Wellington-based Hurricanes in the Super 14, and then with the All Blacks. But his passion to play for the All Blacks was unshakeable and that had underpinned his decision.
He felt he had worked out how to prepare to play consistently and hoped to get that chance again at Eden Park. He had been hurt when he scored his third test try after a weaving 20m run in Sydney and the injury had cooled down at halftime and he struggled to get going again after the break.
The All Blacks would need to react faster to a range of plays this weekend but especially the way they dealt with the Wallabies at the breakdown.
Meanwhile, Elliot burned around in training after learning about his promotion late the night before. He had been quadbiking with some mates at Waimarama Beach near Napier and then had to charge his phone to get his messages. One was an urgent request to call All Black manager Darren Shand, who delivered the news of his callup.
"It was a big shock because I had not had any contact with the coaches or selectors and had been focusing on my core role with the Magpies and trying to have a good season like last year," he said.
If Elliot is not needed this weekend he will be released to play for Hawkes Bay when they travel to Wellington to play Friday's provincial championship opener. Wellington halfback Weepu was recalled to the squad after a 12-test gap and is likely to stay with the squad through to the weekend.
