KEY POINTS:
It is appropriate that winter solstice falls tomorrow because an ailing England could well face the longest of nights against the All Blacks in the second rugby test here.
In some cultures the annual date to mark midwinter has mythological properties but even that might not be enough for an English side under the heaviest of scrutiny to improve on their 20-37 first test loss in Auckland last weekend.
Labelled "one of rugby's great frauds" by a leading New Zealand newspaper, England must answer detractors without arguably their only world class player after prop Andrew Sheridan was ruled out of the match at AMI Stadium due to a facial injury.
Any chance of a normal test buildup was flipped upside down on Wednesday when news broke of a police investigation into an alleged sexual assault by four English players after the test in Auckland.
Developments have since been slow-moving, increasing the heat from a swelling media presence which is spending more time monitoring for police visits at the team hotel than any moves on the training field.
It contrasts with an All Blacks side whose buildup has been largely stress-free aside from some rumblings of discontent over the return of coach Graham Henry's rotation selection policy.
The subject reared its head again today but Henry again hoisted his shield, pointing to the need to build for the future by selecting winger Rudi Wulf and centre Richard Kahui to debut and flanker Adam Thomson for his first test start.
"We could have (made no changes) and that would have been, in the short term, probably the easiest thing to do. But in the long term I don't think that would have ticked all the boxes for us," Henry said, with half an eye on the Tri-Nations opener against South Africa on July 5 and beyond.
"Some players needed to play to make sure when they get the opportunity in the Tri-Nations, that they're ready.
"So it's just trying to get the balance right ... having 26 guys ready to play against the Springboks and the Australians is a difficult balance."
Aside from a magical 25-minute period when the All Blacks rushed in for their four tries, England were able to frustrate them at Auckland.
Seven lost lineouts is a lamentable New Zealand statistic while winning quick ball was a major challenge against tough, sometimes cynical, forwards prepared to commit numbers to every breakdown.
The frustration factor could grow tomorrow with England fielding a revamped backline custom-designed to tackle first and ask questions with ball in hand later.
Expect more tactical kicking from first five-eighth Daniel Carter, keen to test out usual centre Mathew Tait playing out of position at fullback and recalled winger Tom Varndell.
The latter may still be having nightmares about his last test two years ago when treated like a rag doll by Wallaby Lote Tuqiri.
Along with Auckland two-try hero Topsy Ojo, the England back three don't lack for pace but they may struggle to see much quality ball.
As legs tire, Carter will look to prove his running game is returning, having shown glimpses of it last week.
Moments before throwing a tryscoring intercept pass to Ojo, Carter produced the sort of fend on powerful England flanker James Haskell that was a trademark of his early career but has been largely unsighted for 18 months.
Unhappy with a sub-par training run on Wednesday, Henry otherwise believed his team were primed to perform better than at Auckland.
He hadn't necessarily enjoyed "three weeks of intensity" since they first came together, describing the task of feeding his players information but keeping their heads clear and tanks full as difficult.
"It's been a lot of pressure because of the lack of time. You come off a Super 14 one Saturday and you're playing a test match against Ireland the next," Henry said.
"And you've got three test matches in a row.
"Most professional sporting teams have a build-in of a month or six weeks before they play their first game.
"The pressure on the players to get things right in a hurry and the pressure on coaches to try and help that is quite a lot of pressure. That's not that enjoyable."
It is clear that bigger challenges than England await in this marathon year but it was something Henry relished.
"We've set a foundation now so it will be easier once we're into the Tri-Nations because we won't have the same pressure on time," he said.
"Having a week's break and some time leading into the South African test matches will be very helpful."
- NZPA
