Auckland: Coach confident of better things

For nine months Auckland have stewed about their semifinal exit from the NPC last season.

If not emphatically, they had moved through round-robin play, losing just once, to Canterbury, and were optimistic about making the 2000 final.

But then came Black Friday, October 13, when they were cleaned out 23-48 on Eden Park by Wellington.

"Disappointed we lost in the semis?" coach Wayne Pivac asked. "It's no secret, we were bitter.

"We had done all the hard work. We had not been stylish or too pretty during the season, but we had got to the playoffs and then fell apart."

Just twice had Auckland been convincing round-robin winners - against Taranaki in the first round and against Otago in the last game before the semis.

In hindsight, Pivac feels that the Otago victory might have given his side too much self-belief, left them too overconfident for their semi against Wellington.

"But we have had to live with that. We know we can redeem it this season, but it is going to be much tougher."

Pivac and his assistant, Grant Fox, have once more started by dropping a couple of stalwarts.

Last year it was Robin Brooke and Eroni Clarke (though both were reinstated and go round again this winter). This season it is Craig Dowd and Craig Innes.

The squad also have a new captain. With Paul Thomson unable to convince the staff he can regularly make the front row, former age-group and New Zealand Colts captain Xavier Rush will lead the side.

He will shift to blindside flanker to allow the promising Samiu Vahafolau to play No 8, a position in which he was so impressive as a draft player for the Highlanders until he broke his leg.

Other newer players expected to make an impact are French tighthead prop Christian Califano, the transferred pair of Justins - Collins the flanker and Wilson the utility back - and Amasio Valence and Nick White, who are being lined up for more consistent contributions at second five-eighths and loosehead prop.

The draw does not pit Auckland against Otago, Canterbury or Wellington, the sides who will be most depleted through All Black commitments for the opening rounds, until the later stages of the competition.

"It is probably better that way because if we get into the playoffs we are going to have to play teams with all their All Blacks back, anyway," Pivac said.

Auckland have gone for a different build-up this season.

They went into camp last year and then had a couple of practice matches.

This time, the coaching staff sent their troops back into club rugby and although there was some initial indifference, apparently they enjoyed the change and have returned refreshed. They had two trials, against North Harbour and Northland, and only now have gone into camp in the Bay of Islands.

"We concentrated a lot on fitness work for a couple of months because we felt they were not in the best of condition after being with the Blues," Pivac said.

"The camp is to sharpen their ball-work, do a lot of whiteboard planning and to go through our defensive patterns.

"We think they will be mentally strong. The environment is good and we suspect those who were not so sharp in the Super 12 will go okay in the NPC."