By WYNNE GRAY in Cape Town
All Black coach Wayne Smith went with his "gut feelings" last night when he switched Jeff Wilson to his World Cup fullback position to accommodate wing Doug Howlett for the opening Tri-Nations test against the Springboks.
Those beliefs also meant the resolute Tony Brown stayed at first five-eighths to withstand the expected Springbok tactics of attacking the inside defences of the All Blacks.
When Smith revealed his side there was only one change, Howlett, from the team who beat France, and the positional switch of Wilson to his preferred position in the No 15 jersey.
Wilson had been primed to be on standby for fullback when Christian Cullen went for further knee surgery last month.
However, for the opening tests in his comeback year Wilson stayed on the wing, with Leon MacDonald working steadily into some international confidence at the back.
But when the crunch came and the selectors looked for their strongest combination to take on the Boks, the coaching staff went for the experience, organisation and star quality of Wilson.
"It was a difficult one because Leon has been really good this season," Smith said.
"But I wanted Doug on for a bit of extra pace and Jeff has played himself into form."
"He has won here before, he has got experience, he is a world-class player and I think it was a reflection of how well Leon has done that it was a tough decision.
"It was just one of those gut things that we think Jeff is right for this game."
Smith has had plenty of time to think about the change.
He also had the history and first-hand knowledge about how Wilson coped with fullback after using him in that position during the 1999 World Cup tournament.
For most of that tournament Smith felt Wilson played very well; he just needed a little refining about his positional play to again take command of his post.
Part of the process this season had been to see how Wilson performed during the Super 12 after taking a year off rugby.
The selectors knew his pedigree and had to assess whether he still had the sting and instincts for a return to the big time.
"He did a lot of work that went unnoticed," Smith said.
"I watched him a lot off the ball, his fitness tests were really good and he just needed confidence - and he has got it."
Wilson was very upbeat about the test at Newlands, starting with a few quips about his selection "merry-go-round" and then talking about the chance to have another crack in his favourite position against a side whose play he knew well.
He had hoped to play fullback more for the Highlanders, but was injured, and then played on the wing as the franchise juggled its resources.
When he got picked in the All Black squad he was told he was cover for the fullback.
"Once Christian went down I guess the possibilities got greater," he said.
"I think it is good the selectors are picking certain players for certain games.
"It may be different when we face Australia.
"The times I have played fullback in the last two test matches have helped.
"I felt a lot more comfortable back there, you can see so much more and I felt I was able to contribute better.
"Looking back at the World Cup I didn't think I played badly at all and I would not want to judge my career on just one game or two or three."
There were no changes to the pack to take on the Springboks after Reuben Thorne was cleared of a painful ear infection.
After his robust game against France, Brown beat off a challenge from Andrew Mehrtens.
Brown has added a breadth of attacking choices to match the strength of this defence and he answered questions about his goalkicking against France, with only one miss.
He will be paired again with Justin Marshall, a decision Smith explained came because of the Cantabrian's leadership and knowledge of the Springboks' play.
About 3000 spectators, mainly from the nearby townships, watched the All Blacks train yesterday.
Their passion and support encouraged the visitors who had Mehrtens (ankle) and Byron Kelleher (bruising) missing the session because of minor injuries.
The size of the crowd engulfed the small numbers who have been watching the Boks this week.
At one stage the supporters threatened to engulf the players when they surged forward to get a better glimpse of their heroes.
It was similar to the receptions the All Blacks got in Cape Town in 1995 and at the start of their 1996 tour at Worcester.
All Blacks: Jeff Wilson, Doug Howlett, Tana Umaga, Pita Alatini, Jonah Lomu, Tony Brown, Justin Marshall, Ron Cribb, Taine Randell, Reuben Thorne, Norm Maxwell, Troy Flavell, Greg Somerville, Anton Oliver, Carl Hoeft. Reserves: Leon MacDonald, Andrew Mehrtens, Byron Kelleher, Marty Holah, Chris Jack, Carl Hayman, Mark Hammett.
All Blacks 2001 test schedule/scoreboard
All Blacks/Maori squads for 2001
Wilson is back to favourite position
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.