Bad news for Maori side from Smith

By WYNNE GRAY

Superb work against the Wallabies from New Zealand Maori players who have missed the national training squad is unlikely to earn promotion to the All Blacks.

Only unusual circumstances would allow some like captain Deon Muir, Daryl Gibson, Carlos Spencer or Bruce Reihana to force their way into Sunday's announcement of the test squad to play Samoa.

All Black coach Wayne Smith said only a set of injuries, a huge loss of form or an extraordinary rise in performance would make him search outside the group he had in camp at Palmerston North.

Therefore, his closest inspection will be on the six who left the national camp to join their Maori colleagues for tomorrow's match against the Wallabies in Sydney.

"We believe the attitudes we saw at the camp were good and that we have 29 [Christian Cullen is recuperating from knee surgery] who could play test rugby," Smith said.

He and his selection panel of Tony Gilbert and Peter Thorburn had picked that training squad after exhaustive viewing and culling of candidates.

Those they considered the best two in each position had been selected and would get preference ahead of others who might star for the Maori.

But that match was extremely important for those who had been at Palmerston North.

It was a chance to gauge Roger Randle, Ron Cribb, Taine Randell, Troy Flavell, Norm Maxwell and Mark Cooksley against quality opposition.

Most national training squad members not involved in the Maori match would play club rugby tomorrow and medical reports after that might mean some fine-tuning to the All Black squad.

"You can't keep players in cotton-wool. It has been tried before and it doesn't work," Smith said.

The seven players, with Cullen, who miss the All Black cut this Sunday had to "keep working and believing" because they were all close.

Twenty-six players would go to South Africa for the Tri-Nations match and there would be a few other camps where the numbers would swell.

The All Blacks will return to the adidas ball this season after players complained last year about its characteristics.

It was given a trial at Palmerston North and given some approval, though extracting any public player endorsement was difficult.

One reason given was that the players had not had a decent kicking session with the revamped ball.

Smith had been encouraged by the training camp where he introduced the basic patterns and style of play he wanted the All Blacks to use this year.

"We went through everything we wanted to, from set-phase work to second-wave attacks," he said.

"We learned the moves and the way we are going to use them against different opposition.

"It is an understanding thing at first and has to be repetitious to make it second nature," he said.

Players had to react to the rule alterations.