All Blacks: Knives poised for All Blacks

Ma'a Nonu (far left, with Merc, 11 months) and Rodney So'oialo (with Peyton, 19 months) relax before the big game. Photo / Mark Mitchell

It's catching. While the River City agonises over a consonant, the All Blacks would give anything for a W in their results column tonight against the Wallabies in Wellington.

There is no debate from the All Blacks.

They are united in their quest to reverse their fortunes and bypass an unwanted stain as the only side to lose three domestic tests in one season.

Failure tonight would unleash the sort of bloodletting to rival the aftermath of the last World Cup or the ruckus which accompanied Laurie Mains in 1994 as his side battled failure and he repelled calls for his replacement.

Victory against the transtasman foes will deliver a triumphal hattrick this season, quell some angst and underline the argument for those who supported the Henry faction against the Deans mob in the last All Blacks coaching brouhaha.

Those debates will continue to swirl around the periphery of the action at the Cake Tin tonight no matter the result.

For both sides and their coaching staff, the game is only about a result.

Arguments about style, debates about refereeing decisions from Craig Joubert, moments of controversy - none of that will bother the winner. There is only one target - victory.

The All Blacks have escaped the noose twice this season against the Wallabies when the invaders lost their momentum at Eden Park and then in Sydney when Daniel Carter kicked a late penalty.

In both tests, the All Blacks ran their rivals down and will take some of that psychological advantage into this international.

The Wallabies believe they can beat the All Blacks but they have managed it only once in six attempts in the Deans era.

The margins of defeat are getting closer though and the Wallabies, on the back of a stirring win against the Boks, will feel tonight is their time against a battling All Blacks side.

The Wallabies bring an unchanged side to tackle that quest while the All Blacks have shed five of their side from last week.

They have bulked up their set piece strength with Neemia Tialata at tighthead prop and Tom Donnelly and Adam Thomson as lineout targets, but the questions will be all about cohesion and power at the breakdown. A Wallaby trio of George Smith, David Pocock and Ricky Elsom is a grunty combination of speed, agility and strength to wrench possession clear in the crucial multi-phase collision areas.

They will look to isolate All Black skipper Richie McCaw, hold him into play before they attack.

They have some of that as they showed in patches early at Eden Park, before they lost their sting.

The hosts also have plenty of clout as they showed when they cut lose in the final quarter in Hamilton.

That was more about taking the handbrake off their natural skills after the sloppy forward play and unwieldy twin five-eighths concept, and trying to cut into the huge Springbok lead.

Even so, the All Blacks should chance their attacking venom a little earlier this week instead of being dictated to by the playbook directives which have stilted their work.

Daniel Carter's return to first receiver has eased some of his frustration after his mediocre play from mixed positions in Hamilton.

The Ma'a Nonu-Isaia Toeava axis appeals if they are given the green light to attack.

Defence has not been a problem all season but crossing the stripe has.

To get there though, the set piece has to be sharp.

The lineouts were sloppy in Hamilton and a couple of scrums disconnected.

If new boys Donnelly, Thomson and Tialata are caught in wonderland about their international claims, the Wallabies will hurt them.

The axis of Benn Robinson and Tatafu Polota-Nau has given the scrum some stability, Mark Chisholm will fancy his lineout chances against the rookie Donnelly and in Will Genia, the Wallabies appear to have found a dangerous halfback.

Their problem has been a lack of consistent zip from Matt Giteau, a plateau in performance which will not suffice tonight.

Then there is the very young talent of James O'Connor at fullback.

Gifted yes, dangerous yes and mistake-laden when he hesitates, when he wonders if he can try things he does at Super 14 level.

He needs to be pressured for time, space and in the air where taller men can challenge his courage.

Unlike tests this season against the Boks, this match is a voyage into the unknown but the last chance for players to lay out their credentials for tours to the Northern Hemisphere at the end of the year.

ALL BLACKS v WALLABIES:

Where and when: Wellington, 7.35 tonight, Live Sky Sport 1
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England), Cobus Wessels (South Africa)
TV official: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

NEW ZEALAND

Coach: Graham Henry

Mils Muliaina
AGE: 29, 1.84m, 92kg, TESTS: 76, Waikato
Cory Jane
26, 1.83m, 88kg, 7, Wellington
Isaia Toeava
23, 1.81m, 92kg, 25, Auckland
Ma'a Nonu
27, 1.8om, 104kg, 41, Wellington
Joe Rokocoko
26, 1.89m, 98kg, 59, Auckland
Daniel Carter
27, 1.79, 91kg, 61, Canterbury
Jimmy Cowan
27, 1.83m, 92kg, 26, Southland
Kieran Read
23, 1.93m, 105kg, 11, Canterbury
Richie McCaw (c)
28, 1.87m, 106kg, 75, Canterbury
Adam Thomson
27, 1.96m, 112kg, 11, Otago
Tom Donnelly
27, 2m, 113kg, 0, Otago
Brad Thorn
34, 1.95m, 113kg, 32, Canterbury
Neemia Tialata
27, 1.87m, 127kg, 36, Wellington
Andrew Hore
30, 1.83m, 111kg, 42, Taranaki
Tony Woodcock
28, 1.84m, 118kg, 57, N Harbour

Reserves
Aled de Malmanche
25, 1.85m, 112kg, 1, Waikato
John Afoa
25, 1.83m, 120kg, 19, Auckland
Jason Eaton
27, 2.02m, 107kg, 12, Taranaki
Rodney So'oialo
29, 1.90m, 107kg, 59, Wellington
Brendon Leonard
24, 1.82m, 91kg, 11, Waikato
Stephen Donald
25, 1.86m, 96kg, 16, Waikato
Hosea Gear
25, 1.89m, 100kg, 1, Wellington

AUSTRALIA

Coach: Robbie Deans

James O'Connor
AGE: 19, 1.80m, 80kg, TESTS: 9, Force
Lachie Turner
22, 1.89m, 88kg, 10, Waratahs
Adam Ashley-Cooper
25, 1.82m, 98kg, 31, Brumbies
Berrick Barnes
23, 1.83, 87kg, 18, Waratahs
Drew Mitchell
22, 1.85, 95kg, 36, Waratahs
Matt Giteau
26, 1.78, 85kg, 72, Brumbies
Will Genia
21, 1.82, 85kg, 5, Reds
George Smith (c)
29, 1.80m, 103kg, 104, Brumbies
David Pocock
21, 1.81m, 101kg, 10, Force
Rocky Elsom
26, 1.97m, 106kg, 43, Brumbies
Mark Chisholm
27, 1.97m, 112kg, 42, Brumbies
James Horwill
24, 2m, 115kg, 18, Reds
Ben Alexander
25, 1.89m, 117kg, 12, Brumbies
Tatafu Polota-Nau
24, 1.81m, 113kg, 14, Waratahs
Benn Robinson
25, 1.83m, 113kg, 25, Waratahs

Reserves
Stephen Moore
26, 1.86m, 112kg, 40, Brumbies
Pek Cowan
23, 1.85, 116kg, 2, Force
Dean Mumm
25, 1.96m, 109kg, 16, Waratahs
Wycliff Palu
27, 1.94, 120kg, 28, Waratahs
Luke Burgess
26, 1.79m, 89kg, Waratahs
Quade Cooper
21, 1.86m, 92.5kg, 6, Reds
Peter Hynes
27, 1.80m, 92kg, 18, Reds