Henry's mix and match gives Kiwis hope of glory

Martin Johnson, erstwhile World Cup- winning captain and English scourge of all things southern hemisphere, is off to New Zealand and Australia for the next few weeks. It is a speaking tour, rather than a rugby one, which will be a relief to the All Blacks' coach, Graham Henry, who has enough problems sating the appetite of an ever-expectant home audience without Cap'n Johno making an unexpected comeback.

Martin Johnson, erstwhile World Cup- winning captain and English scourge of all things southern hemisphere, is off to New Zealand and Australia for the next few weeks. It is a speaking tour, rather than a rugby one, which will be a relief to the All Blacks' coach, Graham Henry, who has enough problems sating the appetite of an ever-expectant home audience without Cap'n Johno making an unexpected comeback.

Henry and his assistants, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith, presided over a training camp in Palmerston North, at the state-of-the-art Institute of Rugby, before last Tuesday's final trial in Auckland. The Probables beat the Possibles 29-27, and the reassimilation of Andrew Mehrtens after a near two-year hiatus in the fly-half's international career emerged as the main talking point. Henry, Hansen and Smithhave been more familiar to British eyes than Kiwi ones of late. The homecoming of the Three Wise Men from their various roles with the Lions, Wales and Northampton will, all New Zealand hopes, signal a rebirth of the Blacks after the defeat by Australia in last November's World Cup semi-finals.

"We drew a line in the sand at Palmerston North," said Hansen, "to change bad habits to good habits. That takes time and we've got to be a bit patient, but we're heading in the right direction. One thing that's impressed me with this group is that they grab hold of new ideas very quickly and run with them." The fact that the Possibles ran the Probables scrum back for a pushover try was not lost on the coaches. In naming a 26-man squad to face England in two Tests, then Argentina, they promoted Kees Meeuws from the second team's front row to a likely starting spot in Dunedin next Saturday. Out from the pack went the two thorns in the side: specifically, Brad Thorn and Reuben Thorne, the latter losing his place despite a respectable 18 wins in 22 Tests as captain. The fact that two of those defeats were against England in Wellington a year ago and against the Wallabies in the World Cup counted against him.

In Thorne's place, Tana Umaga is the new skipper, the first player of Pacific Island descent to be so honoured. Umaga looked in superb nick in the centre in the trial; conversely, his injured vice-captain, Richie McCaw, did not play at all. If fit, McCaw, perhaps the world's greatest openside flanker, will form a new-look back row against Lawrence Dallaglio, Richard Hill and either Chris Jones or Joe Worsley.

The All Blacks must perm two from four, with the muscle of Mose Tuiali'i or Xavier Rush at No 8, and the speed and strength of Jerry Collins or Marty Holah on the flanks. Henry may play Holah and McCaw left and right. Last June, John Mitchell's back-row selection arguably cost New Zealand victory against Johnson's team. A rush of blood to the head of an inexperienced No 8, Rodney So'oialo, blew a try at the infamous six-man scrum.

Then, as now, this is the start of the All Blacks' Test season. They have retained 15 of their World Cup squad of 31, compared with 17 among England's party. "I think we've got the makings of a very good pack," said Hansen. What New Zealanders are wondering is whether the All Blacks have got any good forward coaches. Hansen coached Wales up front without much distinction - remember the shambles of a scrum against France in Cardiff - and he and his new colleagues were backs. To counter the criticism, a brains trust of former All Blacks has been consulted, although Henry will ultimately carry the can.

Not so long ago it was written in stone that a New Zealand coach who went abroad forfeited forever his chance of handling the All Blacks. Times have changed, the 1987 World Cup win is long distant and Henry's brand of cool analysis is back in fashion. Mehrtens last played a Test - his 66th - against Hansen's Wales in November 2002, and drifted out of fitness in the meantime to the extent that he was caricatured as Elvis at his hamburger-munching nadir.

Henry may stick with Carlos Spencer as the starting No 10, but said of Mehrtens: "He's still class... he's got some proving to do and he'll get the opportunity now." As in the World Cup, England have travelled with a QC, Richard Smith, in tow. On each of his two previous New Zealand excursions, Sir Clive Woodward was mightily aggrieved that alleged stamps by second-rows went unpunished. Henry's task is to fire legitimate aggression in the All Blacks' under-performing pack; only then will they light the blue touchpaper in the likes of Doug Howlett and Joe Rokocoko out wide.