Rubbing salt in Lions' wounds

Graham Henry

The All Blacks delivered another slap at humbled Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward yesterday as they warned about the threat of individual nations on the approaching Grand Slam expedition.

The New Zealanders had no doubt the Home Nations would offer greater menace than the Lions.

The All Blacks' intelligence reports suggested Wales, in particular, believed they would defeat the tourists.

As the domestic chapter of the test season closed on Saturday with the Tri-Nations trophy claimed alongside the Bledisloe Cup, the All Black panel turned their thoughts to the end-of-year tour.

Players would be drip-fed back into the NPC depending on the test workload they had sustained.

Some, like captain Tana Umaga, Richie McCaw, Rico Gear and Keven Mealamu, would not appear for about a month. Others, such as John Afoa, resumed yesterday for Auckland.

It was confirmed that the All Blacks would take 35 players for the tests against Wales, Ireland, England and Scotland. The squad will be picked on October 24 and fly out three days later.

The extended squad was to cover for injuries, make sure no one played more than two successive tests and to continue the strategy of All Black player development, coach Graham Henry said.

There was optimism injured players like Daniel Carter, Anton Oliver, Byron Kelleher, Jono Gibbes and Sitiveni Sivivatu would be fully repaired and available.

The All Blacks took 36 players on much longer tours of South Africa in 1996 and Britain in 1997, and 32 players for last year's three tests and a Barbarians game in Europe.

Henry and his staff had spoken to Springbok coach Jake White about the reasons behind his side's failed Grand Slam tilt last season.

"I think if we have the same attitude we had on [our] last year's tour where we went out to try and play attractive rugby, develop our rugby as a team, and develop people to play the game - I think that should be the basis for what we should do on this tour," Henry said. "If the Grand Slam happens that is a bonus."

There would be difficulties having the side prepared for the opening test against the Six Nations champions, Wales, on November 6, a fortnight after the finish of the NPC. Several of the tourists would have been without rugby for longer. Ideally, players would have three or four NPC games before they left for the Grand Slam.

Those individual countries, said Henry and assistant coach Steve Hansen, would be much tougher foes than the Lions.

"The difference between the Lions and the Home Nations is you have got a group of people in the Home Nations who understand each other, who understand the philosophy of how they want to play," Hansen said.

"Wales, I know, are really looking forward to taking on the challenge after just missing out last year and they firmly believe they can beat us.

"They were the leading lights, I think, on the Lions tour.

"Each one of the Home Unions will provide their own unique challenge, but the key difference is they all understand what they are trying to achieve - I don't know that that was the case with the Lions."

Backs coach Wayne Smith added that there was a precedent in 1983, when the All Blacks beat the Lions but drew with Scotland and lost to England the same year.

No players would be rested for this year's trip, unlike last year when Justin Marshall and Andrew Mehrtens were overlooked for younger prospects.

Locking depth needed increasing and a bulky loose forward who was also a strong lineout option would be useful too. Three halfbacks and three hookers would travel.