Now for the Fijian exercise

All Black captain Tana Umaga has a run at North Harbour Stadium yesterday. Picture / Brett Phibbs

The All Blacks have tried to redirect public interest towards tonight's test against Fiji, but even they have had trouble staving off the engulfing attraction of the Lions tour.

It has been a difficult balancing act for the nation's rugby watchers, with a Super 12 final, the Maori match in Fiji, the All Black trial and the Lions opening match all in a week.

Tricky, too, for the All Blacks this week, to zero in totally on the test at North Harbour Stadium while also completing sponsor, media and corporate duties which occur at this stage of the season.

Midweek, the All Blacks held a team dinner while coach Graham Henry had leave to attend his 59th birthday on the same night.

Reserve centre Conrad Smith kept ducking away from the team meal to get details of the Lions' progress against Taranaki, while Henry wryly suggested his family insisted on watching television coverage of the same match.

Those details emerged yesterday before Henry tried to steer a media conference back towards discussion about the start of the All Blacks' test schedule.

He hoped for a sellout tonight to help support the All Blacks and also because the first $100,000 profit would be going to Fiji who were a brother rugby nation in financial difficulty.

"It is a great opportunity for the All Blacks to cement in and I think we are going to have a big challenge," he said. "The Fijians always come up for the big occasions and play well."

It was a pity his old coaching sidekick, Wayne Pivac, had been forced offshore to use his talents, but he was doing a fine job and had managed to get more structure to sit around Fiji's famous flair.

That panache, and the pace of the Fijians, formed part of Tana Umaga's views on the match, a game in which the All Blacks could show them the ultimate respect by playing well.

Umaga missed the national trial because of the flu and a thumb injury, but was now ready to resume at centre, a position he felt just as comfortable with as second five-eighths.

Although there will be no mention before the test, the Herald understands that if the match goes well for the All Blacks, they will take off Daniel Carter and shuffle all the backs in a place.

That would give Aaron Mauger some time at five-eighths, allow Mils Muliaina to try out at centre, and Soseni Anesi to get a run at fullback.

Fiji would not bring any surprises, Umaga said. They would play as they had against the Maori with a great deal of physical passion, while also asking their wings to be heavily involved.

It was a chance, Henry said, for the All Blacks to set a foundation for the season. The squad and coaching staff were well ahead of where they were before their first test last year.

"We have narrowed our game plan down, so we are not trying to do too many things. I think it is important the new caps come off the field feeling really positive about their first experience in the All Black jersey," Henry added.

That quintet - Derren Witcombe, James Ryan, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Soseni Anesi and Campbell Johnstone - should all see some action, and there may also be some for Sione Lauaki, who replaces Mose Tuiali'i on the bench.

Tuiali'i has sciatic nerve trouble.

Away from inquisition about the new caps, most heat will be on seasoned wing Doug Howlett.

It may be a juggling act between him and Joe Rokocoko, away on sevens duty, for one All Blacks squad vacancy. Otherwise this test looks like a game in which the All Blacks will try out their loose forward arrangements for the Lions series, test their back three, and give a number of others who have not played for some time a run.