KEY POINTS:
Hoary old chestnut. Maybe, but Graham Henry used it as the example of how he did not want to repeat the mistakes of the last World Cup.
No way, he said, did he want to be left like the last regime in being forced to pick a player
like Leon MacDonald out of position at centre in the playoffs.
So he set about building the admirable depth in his squad, having two players or more to play or compete in each position. Centre has, like 1999 with the experiment of using Christian Cullen, and 2003, become the problem again after the exit of former skipper Tana Umaga.
Henry brought two centres to this World Cup, Conrad Smith and Isaia Toeava, yet he has picked a third, Mils Muliaina, to play against the French in the opening quarter-final at Cardiff.
Groundhog day? Is there going to be any symmetry about 1999, 2003, 2007?
The coach's explanation was that Muliaina was a class player at fullback or centre and had to play, and MacDonald's form demanded his inclusion.
Convincing explanation, yes, but the selection smells more about not trusting Smith and Toeava than believing Muliaina is the best centre in the land.
If that were the case, he should have been persevered with after last year when he was chosen as centre for five of the six Tri-Nations tests.
It will probably not make a blind bit of difference on Sunday against France, who will have to play well in excess of the form they have shown at this World Cup to repeat theirshock in the semifinal of 1999.
Perhaps it is Henry thinking a step ahead to a possible semifinal against the Wallabies, getting another midfield combination set after the troubles against Stirling Mortlock in Melbourne this season.
Muliaina ended up as centre by default in the opening game against Italy, when Smith cried off with his dodgy hamstring, and has played only five minutes since falling foul of a similar hamstring curse.
Instead of giving Toeava the centre duties for that first game, the All Blacks used him as a sub, then wing, and finally at centre against Romania, while Smith was solid if unspectacular in his twin shots at centre.
Muliaina is a very gifted player, a superb fullback who has the vision to return possession from deep and the technical expertise to find his supports, kick judiciously or stay on his feet and retain the ball until his support arrives.
On this tour MacDonald has made some impressive kick returns but he has spilled some kicks and lost the ball in contact. Nick Evans, in his stint against Romania, looked ultra-sharp with the speed to skirt trouble and a superb long kicking game, but his inexperience in that position in top tests appears to have counted against him starting.
When Muliaina switches to centre he rarely makes mistakes, he strengthens the defensive line and has a silky pass under extreme pressure. However he never seems to make as much impact as he does from fullback.
By making the changes now, Henry is almost obliged to persist with the tactic for as long as his team survives.
