Those kicks just part of story

By WYNNE GRAY

But for a kick ... That will be the All Black lament about the Tri-Nations that disappeared through the Wallaby penalty kicks of John Eales at Wellington and Stirling Mortlock in Durban.

Had either kick missed, the All Blacks would have retained the only piece of silverware that had been missing from the Australians' trophy cabinet.

On balance though, the All Blacks were not a better side than the Wallabies during this new millennium series. They certainly had the edge on the Springboks in the backs, if not the pack, but not quite the all-round quality of the World Cup champions.

If the All Blacks had taken the series, it would have been more difficult for coach Wayne Smith to convince the public and some in the squad, that there was still a lot of change required.

They have made progress this year in certain areas and stuttered in others.

The stumble in Wellington, then the lurch in Johannesburg, has given Smith enough of a selection threat to hold against the original 26 if they are to be reselected from the NPC for the tour to Japan, France and Italy.

Sifting through the three Tri-Nations squads to find a composite best XV underlines the improvement needed from the All Blacks if they are to regain that impregnable aura of yesteryear.

Only two All Blacks would qualify for the best XV. Fullback Christian Cullen and wing Tana Umaga would make a World XV too, so well have they played this season.

But none of their team-mates would join them.

Wing Jonah Lomu, first five-eighths Andrew Mehrtens, openside flanker Josh Kronfeld and No 8 Ron Cribb would be contenders for a Tri-Nations XV but fall out in the final evaluation.

The "nearly, but not quite" for those players is a reflection of the All Blacks' season.

Sometimes there are small margins between success and failure.

It will appear that way on the record sheets, with the Wallabies solitary point winners against both the All Blacks and Springboks. But throughout the series the Wallabies looked to have a better breadth of skill and vision which allowed them to retain their composure in those gnarly final frenetic moments at Wellington and Durban.

Debate suggests that at the highest level of professional sport, teams may battle to win an overwhelming percentage of their matches.

Smith understands the argument but does not accept the philosophy. He wants the All Blacks to be like the Brisbane Broncos, the Chicago Bulls and Manchester United; he does not accept any slip from the standards which had the All Blacks as the world's most feared rugby side.

Those demands and introspection would have been central to the reviews his coaching staff did with the All Blacks last week. Any players who thought Smith was being glib with his comments about the squad having to prove themselves again in the NPC should beware.

In interviews since the conclusion of the Tri-Nations, it is clear that Smith is not satisfied with some elements in the squad. He wants excellence - or at least complete devotion to the job from everyone.

Parts of the puzzle have yet to gel; the NPC will give him and the selectors time to reassess some whose performance may have slipped. But the panel would applaud the contributions of Cullen and Umaga, the most complete backs in world rugby, whose production nearly gave the All Blacks the Bledisloe Cup/Tri-Nations double.

Outside that pair, Mehrtens and Kronfeld were the strongest candidates. Mehrtens did not quite have Stephen Larkham's consistency or robust approach, though he is a superb goalkicker. In this team John Eales can do anything, so he will be asked to kick for goal too.

Kronfeld had a strong series, but was relegated more to a defensive component than constructive link because of the lack of impact from the All Black tight five.

Otherwise the pack had to be a mix of Springbok power and Wallaby skill, directed by halfback magician George Gregan.