29/05/2007
Forget fretting over the French, the All Blacks have plenty of problems of their own to sort out in the next two weekends as they start this most important year of Graham Henry's stunningly successful tenure.With the French making more than a dozen last-minute alterations to an already severely depleted touring side, Bernard Laporte's outfit has quickly gone from C-grade to D-grade for these tests in Auckland and Wellington.
But these matches and the one-off test against Canada that follows are all about the All Blacks finding their A-grade game again.
Let's face it, the All Blacks have a bad habit of starting their new seasons with a rusty look to their play. It's a problem that has plagued them down the years.
That was particularly so last year when Henry was operating a 45-man squad through the first phase of the season, meaning little cohesion in selection or performance.
There will be no room for similar excuses this year. He has his preferred 31 players on his books for the kick-off to the 2007 test season and there will be plenty of pressure on these All Blacks to display the sort of commanding style they exhibited on their triumphant march through Europe last November.
The severely depleted French will only add to the pressure for the All Blacks to perform.
They must win and they must win well. They need to do that for their paying public who are certainly getting short-changed on the French side of the equation.
But the All Blacks must win well for their own peace of mind.
After a disappointing Super 14 campaign there is ground to be made up, especially against the buoyant South Africans who loom just around the corner in the reduced Tri Nations in late June and July.
The reconditioning programme appears to have left many of the All Blacks stuck in second gear at the moment and it will be under the microscope as the alarming injury toll mounts.
A rash of hamstring problems raises questions over the training regime. Coincidence, bad luck or bad planning?
So Henry needs to get things going quickly to ease the public's concerns.
There is still plenty to sort out ahead of the World Cup and just seven tests to get the squad's final shape finalised before the tournament starts in September.
Paramount will be the dreaded No 13 jersey that has been a problem ever since Tana Umaga retired more than a year ago.
The All Blacks hopes of pushing on in their search for the solution to this crucial midfield equation has been hampered by ankle injuries to Isaia Toeava and Ma'a Nonu and hamstring problems to Conrad Smith and Mils Muliaina.
And there will be the need to get the fourth prop sorted out too with new boy John Schwalger the 10th prop employed by Henry and his forwards coach Steve Hansen.
Whether a French side as poor as this or a Canadian team who conceded a half century of points against New Zealand Maori are able to provide the searching examination required in either the midfield or the front row appearts very doubtful.
So it's going to be about the Alll Blacks and their ability to quickly re-establish their own high standards.
The All Blacks took a selfish attitude during the Super 14. We all lived with that because iof the bigger picture. But now it's time for some payback.
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