All Blacks ready for final tune-up

Rating their own performances against vastly different benchmarks will be the game within the game when Canada meet New Zealand in the final Rugby World Cup 2011 Pool A match on Sunday.

The All Blacks are confirmed quarter-finalists so will use the match at Wellington Regional Stadium to fine-tune their game and give the under-exposed players in the squad more playing time, while 12th ranked Canada say they will measure how they play against their own pre-determined goals, regardless of the final score.

New Zealand coach Graham Henry, who will celebrate his 100th Test in charge of the All Blacks, has made seven changes to the team that beat France 37-17.

“We just want to make sure that the backbone of the team is ticking over all the time and the guys that need football get an opportunity, because you just don’t know what’s going to happen on the injury front and who is going to be required for finals football," Henry said.
The changes included giving full back Mils Muliaina his first RWC 2011 hit-out for what will be his 99th cap and bringing back scrum half Jimmy Cowan for his 50th.

Number 8 Kieran Read makes a welcome return from an ankle injury. He and wing Zac Guildford will also be making their first RWC 2011 appearances.

Strongest team

In line with his tournament policy, Canada coach Kieran Crowley has named his strongest team, making only one injury-forced change from the side that drew 24-24 with Japan, despite having only a four-day break between matches and five players in the squad of 30 who have yet to play.

With goalkicking full back James Pritchard excluded because of a head knock he received in the Japan match, Conor Trainor comes off the bench to play wing and Matt Evans will wear number 15. The new replacement is an additional reserve forward, flanker Nanyak Dala.

Given his team are playing a side he readily admits have no weaknesses and who are the highest-scoring team in RWC history (an average of 48 points a game over all tournaments), Crowley clearly had his tongue in his cheek when he said he would be satisfied with a 21-20 win from three converted tries.

With the All Blacks fully fit and rested, and wanting to lift their game to another level going into the knockout stage, they are unlikely to be troubled by Canada, although Henry is not being complacent.

“I’ve been impressed with them. Canada are always a big physical side that don’t get fazed by anybody and they’ll stand up and be counted," he said.

"They’ve developed their attack play a lot more over the last couple of years and they played well against the French, I thought."