All Blacks: Key men back to defend fortress

Stephen Donald (L) and Luke McAlister have injury worries. Photo / Getty Images

Five nights until battle. Five nights until the All Blacks defend an extraordinary Eden Park record which shows a solitary defeat and one draw in the last 32 internationals at the famous arena.

Down the years the Wallabies have won four times at the ground, but not since 1986.

Since then they have crossed the Tasman nine times to play at Eden Park and returned home without reward. They arrived last year with renewed hope they could send the All Blacks towards a precipice of three straight test defeats.

The Wallabies had won comprehensively in Sydney but the All Blacks had welcomed back their captain Richie McCaw from a serious ankle injury.

The bleeding was staunched, the Bledisloe Cup retained. The All Blacks had a comprehensive 39-10 triumph and were on their way to another Tri-Nations title.

They reinforced the Fortress reputation they have built at Eden Park. Since the first edition of the World Cup, only France, in 1994 with help from the "try from the end of the Earth" have been able to outmanoeuvre their hosts.

However this season has been an ordeal for the All Blacks. They shared a scrappy series with France and then battled to beat Italy. Happily, they have a group of key players back from injury.

McCaw has recovered from his knee injury while No 8 Rodney So'oialo (neck), Andrew Hore (rib), Tony Woodcock (illness), Sitiveni Sivivatu (shoulder) and Conrad Smith (hamstring) are all reported to be fit again.

Those returns will be balanced by worries about finding a healthy first five-eighths. Stephen Donald has been troubled by a hamstring problem and Luke McAlister did not play the last two club games or take much part in the training camp because of a back problem. The Wallabies believe McAlister will probably pass a fitness test.

"[McAlister] is an incredibly dangerous player who brings a lot of physicality," Wallaby midfielder Berrick Barnes said. "He steps well off both feet and brings a lot to the side."

While the All Blacks have their selection issues to decipher, the fallout from Lote Tuqiri's sacking is still causing dramas in Australian rugby circles. The players have been caught in the middle as ARU chief executive John O'Neill and Players Association boss Tony Dempsey have swapped alternative views on the case.

Meanwhile, Wallaby coach Robbie Deans flew from Sydney to Christchurch and back yesterday to spend some time with his father who has been unwell.

Both sides will reveal their selections tomorrow and the Wallabies are expected to rearrange their loose trio with Wycliff Palu back at No 8 after injury, Richard Brown switching to blindside and opensider George Smith becoming the fourth Wallaby to play 100 tests.

The All Blacks assembled in Auckland after eight of them, including McCaw in his first outing since late May, played club rugby on Saturday.

With doubts remaining over McAlister's fitness, the All Blacks used the versatile Piri Weepu and Stephen Brett as five-eighths in a pickup game which ended last week's training camp in Wellington.

The Wallabies had noted the issues but Barnes said they had no illusions about Saturday's challenge and did not want to be caught under-prepared as they were in last year's loss.

"We will use last year as a positive," he said. "We know what we are in for. Last year we went in a bit blind."