KEY POINTS:
The honking chaos outside the All Blacks' team hotel here today was apt as coach Graham Henry reflected on a week of rugby gridlock and uncertainty.
Injuries, off-field misbehaviour, torrential rain and new laws hardly allow for smooth preparation when the world rugby champions lie in wait but Henry hoped it will be behind them when the Tri-Nations starts against South Africa tomorrow night.
As the nationwide truck drivers' protest rumbled outside, Henry could at least announce some good news, that key lock Ali Williams is likely to play at Westpac Stadium after being in doubt all week due to a sprained ankle.
Williams fell awkwardly on it at training yesterday and spent some time watching on at today's light session, but Henry pronounced the lock's recovery this week as textbook and he would be ready to combat a potent Springboks lineout.
"He always plays well in the big games for the All Blacks," said Henry, who would have been desperate for Williams not to join injured captain Richie McCaw on the sidelines.
"It's his 50th test match and he's a very experienced lock forward. We haven't got a lot of depth at lock in experience so he's a very important player."
Henry used the term unknown to describe two crucial elements of the test: how they handle the return to the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) and how his inexperienced players step up to the physical questions routinely asked by the Springboks.
It is Henry's first taste of the ELVs which were used in the Super 14 and he has also had to consider two further laws introduced this week which liberate lineout player numbers and legalise maul collapses.
"You're not quite sure how the opposition are going to work in that area, what their focus is," he said.
"A lot of it will be how you respond to what you see on the track."
Henry has asked his side to get used to life without McCaw, meaning the onus falls on Rodney So'oialo to make those on-field adjustments.
The dreadlocked Wellingtonian must also inspire a team featuring five players to have never faced South Africa - winger Rudi Wulf, second five-eighth Ma'a Nonu, halfback Andy Ellis and loose forwards Jerome Kaino and Adam Thomson.
In additions, lock Brad Thorn and centre Conrad Smith will make their first starts against New Zealand's greatest rivals.
In contrast, only Springboks winger Odwa Ndungane will have a first All Blacks experience.
Henry agreed an air of vulnerability surrounded his new-look squad despite their wins over Ireland and England last month.
"We're in the unknown to some extent. There's a large number of players in the 26 who haven't had long careers in the All Blacks," he said.
"It's just a matter of how these fellas are going to handle the demands of playing South Africa.
"That's the challenge and it will be interesting to see how that challenge is met. I'm sure one thing they'll do is their best."
Despite his week-long bid for underdogs status, Henry's All Blacks still start clear favourites with bookmakers.
A close examination of South Africa's 13-test winning streak shows they have not had to play New Zealand, Australia or France. The run began after they lost their last three tests of the 2007 Tri-Nations.
Even last year's World Cup knockout phase threw up Fiji, Argentina and England, opponents the Springboks disposed of without departing from a conservative gameplan.
Motivation is not a problem for the tourists, many of whom have openly stated their desire to end a decade of defeat on New Zealand soil.
Such an outcome would also end the All Blacks' world record home test winning streak at 29.
Henry said defending such a record was not driving his team.
"It'll probably matter in 10 years time," he said.
"We try and play well in every test and that's what you concentrate on. They're good things to have and that's a fine record but it's not what we focus on."
The match also provides Henry his greatest opportunity yet to re-establish a reputation battered by the All Blacks' World Cup quarterfinal loss to France, with tomorrow's match falling nine months to the day since the calamity in Cardiff.
- NZPA
