Umaga plays down star factor

Tana Umaga says the team will not be relying solely on the likes of Richie McCaw, seen here during the captain's run at North Harbour Stadium yesterday. Picture / Fotopress

The concept of star players in the All Blacks has been hurriedly quashed by captain Tana Umaga as they prepare for the first test of an epic season against Fiji at North Harbour Stadium tonight.

With the touring Lions looming large over this match, the New Zealand players took the chance to outline their mind-set heading into a clash they should win comfortably.

After this comes a three-test series against the Lions, the Tri-Nations championship and a Grand Slam tour of Europe.

Spurred by British journalists' suggestions that first five-eighth Daniel Carter, flanker Richie McCaw and Umaga himself would be pivotal figures against the Lions and that injuries to any would be problematic, the All Blacks skipper said nothing but a unified approach would work after a short buildup.

"We can't rest on a couple of guys being brilliant -- the likes of Dan Carter and Richie McCaw, doing it by themselves. We've got to all do our jobs," said Umaga, insisting Fiji posed enough challenges to keep the Lions from their thinking.

"All the Fijians in this game, apart from Bill (Cavubati), have got a lot of speed. They play to their strengths, their two wingers touch the ball a lot.

"They love playing against us. All the Pacific nations like trying to knock us off and we have to be ready."

Umaga didn't want to be too hard on giant prop Cavubati, a good friend and former Wellington teammate.

"He's been around for a bit and he's had his knockers but he's still playing test rugby so he's got the last laugh."

Lock Chris Jack said it was important he and the other Crusaders in the squad had put their Super 12 success behind them.

"We lost that pretty quickly, as soon as we got here," he said.

Pinched nerve

A late change to the All Blacks yesterday saw blockbusting Chiefs flanker Sione Lauaki come onto the reserve bench after Mose Tuiali'i succumbed to pinched nerve in his lower back.

While Lauaki could have a massive impact against a tiring defence, the two most-watched All Blacks tonight will be halfback Byron Kelleher and debut winger Sitiveni Sivivatu, keen to impress against the country of his birth.

Fiji coach Wayne Pivac felt mixed emotions as his team prepared to cope with Sivivatu, another potential star now lost to the national team.

"Fijians are pleased for him, people there look up to New Zealand rugby, they see it on their TV screens and the NPC and the Super 12," Pivac said.

"When they see a Joe Rokocoko or a Joeli Vidiri or now a Sivivatu playing it gives them an immense sense of pride really that those guys have broken into the top team in the world.

"Obviously from my point of view as the Fiji coach it's always nice to have them available for Fiji. That's not the case under the International Rugby Board rules so good luck to him."

- NZPA