11/09/2007 NZPA
Coach Graham Henry's directive for his All Blacks players to show "sensitivity" to Portugal in their World Cup match on Saturday appears to be falling on deaf ears.
Henry and assistant coach Wayne Smith will this week ask their players to be sensible against a team of amateurs who may well field their second-choice lineup for the pool C clash at Lyon.
Smith also said it was important not to "humiliate" the tournament newcomers, who were brave but ultimately overwhelmed 56-10 by Scotland in St Etienne yesterday.
Prop Greg Somerville looked like he had been asked to eat a rotten egg when the coaches' comments were put to him today.
He said easing off in rugby, particularly at prop, was never an option.
"Not where I come from. In the front row, if you get pushed around then you're not a chance for the week after," Somerville said.
"I don't think anything changes. If you want to achieve what we've set out to then you've got to commit yourself fully, there's no holding back really."
Somerville's name should be there when the starting team is unveiled tonight (NZ time), ending more than a year out of the black jersey spent recovering from two operations on his Achilles tendon and more recent surgery on an eye injury.
The last thing he wanted was to let himself down on return.
"I have to put everything in to make sure the technique's right," he said.
"You're asking for trouble if you don't go in with the right methods.
"It's early stages yet, we've only had one game and there's a lot of things we want to work on."
Another front-rower, Andrew Hore, also said the Portugal forwards couldn't expect an easy ride. He was certainly unconcerned about suggestions the minnows were at greater risk of injury.
"I worry about myself getting injured, I'm not too worried about what happens to other people," he said.
"If you go out there thinking you're going to take it easy, that's probably when you do get in trouble.
"You don't want to go out there thinking it's going to be easy because it will bite you on the arse pretty much."
A French journalist was probing flanker Chris Masoe on the topic, a complex question ending with, "will you show no mercy?".
"Something like that," was the response from the Wellington flanker.
After a day off, the All Blacks had their first team meeting today to review the 76-14 defeat of Italy, before training in very hot afternoon conditions.
It was the first open session since they arrived in Marseille, with about 250 invited spectators on hand.
Lock Keith Robinson, sidelined for a second week with his calf injury, underwent separate testing and was involved in several long conversations with medical staff.
Centre Conrad Smith ran through most of the drills in an encouraging sign but fellow-hamstring strain sufferer Reuben Thorne didn't train.
There was a scare when lock Chris Jack went to ground clutching his left shoulder. However, he resumed training and was later sporting an ice pack before practice wound up.
Henry and assistant coach Wayne Smith will this week ask their players to be sensible against a team of amateurs who may well field their second-choice lineup for the pool C clash at Lyon.
Smith also said it was important not to "humiliate" the tournament newcomers, who were brave but ultimately overwhelmed 56-10 by Scotland in St Etienne yesterday.
Prop Greg Somerville looked like he had been asked to eat a rotten egg when the coaches' comments were put to him today.
He said easing off in rugby, particularly at prop, was never an option.
"Not where I come from. In the front row, if you get pushed around then you're not a chance for the week after," Somerville said.
"I don't think anything changes. If you want to achieve what we've set out to then you've got to commit yourself fully, there's no holding back really."
Somerville's name should be there when the starting team is unveiled tonight (NZ time), ending more than a year out of the black jersey spent recovering from two operations on his Achilles tendon and more recent surgery on an eye injury.
The last thing he wanted was to let himself down on return.
"I have to put everything in to make sure the technique's right," he said.
"You're asking for trouble if you don't go in with the right methods.
"It's early stages yet, we've only had one game and there's a lot of things we want to work on."
Another front-rower, Andrew Hore, also said the Portugal forwards couldn't expect an easy ride. He was certainly unconcerned about suggestions the minnows were at greater risk of injury.
"I worry about myself getting injured, I'm not too worried about what happens to other people," he said.
"If you go out there thinking you're going to take it easy, that's probably when you do get in trouble.
"You don't want to go out there thinking it's going to be easy because it will bite you on the arse pretty much."
A French journalist was probing flanker Chris Masoe on the topic, a complex question ending with, "will you show no mercy?".
"Something like that," was the response from the Wellington flanker.
After a day off, the All Blacks had their first team meeting today to review the 76-14 defeat of Italy, before training in very hot afternoon conditions.
It was the first open session since they arrived in Marseille, with about 250 invited spectators on hand.
Lock Keith Robinson, sidelined for a second week with his calf injury, underwent separate testing and was involved in several long conversations with medical staff.
Centre Conrad Smith ran through most of the drills in an encouraging sign but fellow-hamstring strain sufferer Reuben Thorne didn't train.
There was a scare when lock Chris Jack went to ground clutching his left shoulder. However, he resumed training and was later sporting an ice pack before practice wound up.
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