KEY POINTS:
When the All Blacks needed a replacement wing they chose a centre to do the job in tomorrow's return Bledisloe Cup clash.
Instead of choosing either specialist wing alternatives Rudi Wulf or Anthony Tuitavake, the selectors decided to move Richard Kahui on to the right flank as they
covered for the loss of the concussed Leon MacDonald.
The 30-year-old MacDonald was picked at fullback as part of the strategy to counter the Wallabies kicking game which was such a prominent component in the hosts' opening Bledisloe Cup victory in Sydney. But that plan fell apart when MacDonald complained of headaches and in the ensuing shuffle, Mils Muliaina was switched from the wing back to his regular fullback role and Kahui picked on the wing.
Kahui is a talented player but he has only played two tests and the Wallabies may think they can use their vastly experienced left wing Lote Tuqiri to exploit Kahui's lack of positional expertise and outright pace on that flank.
The All Blacks, meanwhile, were adamant Kahui would hold up, that his promotion would not affect the side's balance and that he had trained soundly in that role this week.
"He played wing and fullback for the Highlanders [in 2006] and wing for Waikato, NZ Colts so he is fine there positionally and he has got qualities we think will suit us," backs coach Wayne Smith said.
"It was a matter of working out what characteristics we wanted for this game so he has been training there all week because Mils [Muliaina] and Leon [MacDonald] took a limited part in training."
The player switches would not alter the way the All Blacks wanted to play the test nor would they make a huge change to their combinations. However, the reintroduction of the ELVs were having a huge impact and the All Black coaches were working overtime to deal with them. Instead of a game based on scrums, lineouts, kick receipts and turnovers, rugby had changed to a sport where free kicks were the most common starting platform while there were also an enormous number of kick receipts to accommodate in general play.
The ball was in play an average 15 minutes longer than it had been under the old laws and that had enormous implications on player selections and the patterns teams wanted to play.
Meanwhile, MacDonald's rugby future is again in doubt after his latest bout of concussion and he had been released from the squad to spend time at home with his family. He took a rest from rugby in New Zealand in 2004 after suffering a series of concussions but had been symptom-free until hurt against the Springboks in Dunedin.
"You would need to ask him but I am sure he and his family are pretty concerned and they have got some decisions to make," Smith said. "These things can come right really quickly, some days you can just wake up and you will be fine but you need time to get to that position."
Smith thought MacDonald would be an unlikely candidate for the All Blacks solitary test in South Africa.
The national selectors would look at all the national championship matches this weekend to assess possible replacements. Players like Paul Williams and Corey Jane would be contenders.
A decision will be made today on the final All Black side for this weekend but hooker Andrew Hore and halfback Jimmy Cowan looked likely starters. A decision will also be made on whether Adam Thomson or Daniel Braid would be the loose forward cover.
