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TOULOUSE - The All Blacks have been forced to continue training with the rugby ball that coach Graham Henry calls a "dog" and it is starting to rankle.
A ridiculous glitch affecting every team at the World Cup sees the players having to practise with replica balls, which are markedly different to those used for games.
All Blacks management went public with their concerns early this week but have had no response from tournament organisers or ball manufacturers Gilbert, leaving them to continue with the substandard balls.
"The replica ball is a bit of a dog. It's hard to kick," Henry said today.
"We've had frustration trying to get a match-quality ball to train with, particularly for the kickers.
"The match ball is excellent so when you're practising goalkicking, and line kicking, kicking a replica is not going to give you a lot of confidence."
Henry said he had been told the problem would be rectified but this week the players have been forced to again make do with the bag of replicas they were given at the start of the tournament.
Henry made a humorous yet pertinent point about the inflexibility of organisers when asked if it was possible to at least take away the match day balls when the fulltime whistle blew.
"Apparently a little man in a white coat comes round and grabs those after the game. He has to sign a form," Henry said.
"He signs them off to a bigger bloke with a white coat."
England first five-eighth and goalkicker Jonny Wilkinson spoke out this week about the same difficulties.
Gilbert responded by saying the balls weren't different in any way.
It was a claim disputed today by All Blacks first five-eighth Daniel Carter, who missed five of his nine shots at goal against Scotland over the weekend.
"Gilbert said that they're not but I can just sort of feel the difference between the two, it's frustrating," Carter said.
Carter's backup Nick Evans, who landed an impressive 12 of 14 conversion attempts against Portugal, was equally unhappy about the confusion.
He said all the players who kicked in general play had noticed a difference between the balls.
It was particularly difficult to effect a spiral kick with the replica so they could only practise drop punts.
- NZPA
