All Blacks: McAlister lines up in preferred No 12

Graham Henry will reveal his starting 15 for the Tri-Nations/Bledisloe Cup Wallabies clash tomorrow. Photo / Getty Images

Luke McAlister is poised for an All Blacks rugby return in his favoured No 12 jersey against the Wallabies on Saturday, with Ma'a Nonu set to pay the price for some indifferent recent form.

McAlister trained at second five-eighth at a sun-drenched North Sydney Oval yesterday alongside talisman Daniel Carter who ran the show and alleviated any doubt about starting his first test of 2009 after an achilles tendon injury layoff.

With the team set to be revealed tomorrow, it signals an end to the Stephen Donald-Nonu partnership which started in all three Tri-Nations tests - including dual losses to South Africa - and offers some solidity in a problem area for the All Blacks this year.

Nonu has enjoyed an extended stint in the All Blacks midfield, with 21 consecutive tests, matching injured hooker Keven Mealamu for the record stint under Graham Henry's coaching regime.

Just one of those was off the bench, for the victory over the Wallabies in Hong Kong last year.

McAlister's last test start was at first five-eighth against Italy, a 27-6 win on June 26, where his scratchy performance was mirrored by the team.

Since his return from an English club stint, he has often spoken of his preference for the 12 jersey and will likely get his wish at ANZ Stadium for the Tri-Nations/Bledisloe Cup test. The combination of two ball players will also offer the All Blacks a left-right kicking option in general play.

In another potential change, the in-form Kieran Read looks set for a callup to the No 8 spot in place of Rodney So'oialo.

The latter impressed off the bench for Wellington at the weekend but his patchy All Blacks form and Read's recent efforts appear to have been noticed by the selectors. Read ran extensively at No 8 yesterday.

The only other selection conundrum involves the strong challenge to winger Joe Rokocoko posed by Cory Jane, who played on the right wing in the 22-16 win over the Wallabies in Auckland.

Despite his South African struggles, Rokocoko's two-try effort for Auckland at the weekend might be enough to retain his spot.

Fullback Mils Muliaina said the session, with a heavy focus on skills and ball work, got the team "back on track" after South Africa.

"There's a couple of different personnel there, obviously with Dan being back in the fold making sure he's up to speed," Muliaina said.

The training stretched for a tick over two hours and was notable for the heavy security presence at the picturesque oval.

Plain clothes security guards patrolled all the entrances and scoured all corners for potential interlopers.

All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen accused the Wallabies of spying on their training session in Brisbane last year, alleging pictures secretly shot by Channel Seven were passed on to the home side. Wallabies coach Robbie Deans laughed off the claims at the time.

Deans will also name his team tomorrow, with Adam Ashley-Cooper favoured to replace injured skipper Stirling Mortlock at centre.

Star first five-eighth Matt Giteau trained today after sitting out last week's camp with a heavily bruised leg, and gave himself the thumbs up.

- NZPA