KEY POINTS:
EDINBURGH - Former All Black captain Reuben Thorne is ready to banish the rugby demons that have haunted him for eight years.
The steely flanker skippered the New Zealand side that failed to live up to expectations at the 2003 tournament in Australia and was also part of
the unsuccessful 1999 campaign.
His inclusion in the current squad presented him with the chance "to set things right" but a hamstring injury kept him out of the matches against Italy and Portugal.
He has regained full fitness and coach Graham Henry has picked the 32-year-old in the unfamiliar position of lock for the Pool C clash with Scotland at Murrayfield on Monday (NZ time).
"When I redid the hamstring the week of the Italian game I was a bit down about it and I was not sure what was going to happen," said Thorne. "But it is okay now.
"It is huge thing for me to be part of this World Cup and try and set things right and help the team get to our goal.
"I have been to two World Cups and we did not win so it is a chance for me to help the team win this time. That is what we are all here for.
"There are a lot of us in the squad who have been to at least one World Cup without winning. That is a huge motivating factor this time around."
Thorne pinpointed the experienced nature of the 2007 squad as the main difference from four years ago when the All Blacks were beaten 22-10 at the semi-final stage by arch-rivals Australia.
"It is hard to compare squads but the big difference is the maturity of the squad, the experience," said Thorne, who has captained the All Blacks 23 times and will play his 49th Test on Monday.
"Here is probably half a dozen guys who have played 50 Tests now, or close to it, so that is a lot of experience. It is spread right across the board, there is not a lot of guys in key positions that have not played a lot of Tests."
Thorne added that the preparation for the tournament had been excellent this time around unlike in 2003.
"The whole campaign so far has been terrific - the planning that went on beforehand and the preparation. Everything has run smoothly so far," he said.
"If we had got the preparation dead right in 2003 who knows what could have happened. Some things you cannot control. This time around we have got a good group, preparation has been thorough and when it comes to the games it all depends what happens on the day really."
The Canterbury player heaped praise on the well-credentialed Henry for the way he has gone about his job.
"Graham Henry has an amazing work ethic, puts a huge amount of hours into his preparation and the analysis of the opposition and he organises people around him very well," he said.
"He runs the show and organises everything and makes sure everybody pulls their weight. He is very straight up and he does not mince his words. He is a strong leader."
Thorne said that the intensity levels had increased ahead of the clash with Scotland as they approached the business end of the World Cup.
"We are focused going into this Test. Playing Scotland will be toughest game of our pool, they are a good side, so the intensity in training has risen automatically really," he said.
"I am looking forward to playing at lock. It is a position I enjoy. I have never started a Test at lock but I have played a lot there at a high level."
- AFP
