All Blacks switch four for Scotland clash | Rugby | Fox Sports

All Blacks ring the changes for clash with Scotland as Richie McCaw, Mils Muliaina eye milestones

• From correspondents in Edinburgh, Scotland
• From AFP
• November 11, 2010 8:27PM

Milestone ... Richie McCaw will celebrate his record-equalling 92nd cap this weekend. Source: David Rogers / Getty Images

New Zealand have made four changes to the side that beat England last weekend for this weekend's Test against Scotland at Murrayfield.

All Blacks team

Mils Muliaina, Isaia Toeava, Conrad Smith, Sonny Bill Williams, Hosea Gear, Dan Carter, Jimmy Cowan, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (capt), Liam Messam, Samuel Whitelock, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Keven Mealamu/Hikawera Elliot, Tony Woodcock. Replacements: Andrew Hore, John Afoa, Anthony Boric, Daniel Braid, Andy Ellis, Stephen Donald, Ma'a Nonu.

Jimmy Cowan returns at halfback while Conrad Smith will line up at centre alongside Sonny Bill Williams with Ma'a Nonu moving to the bench.
Isaia Toeva comes onto the right wing in place of Joe Rokocoko.
The only change in the forwards sees Liam Messam get a go at blindside flanker, although All Blacks coach Graham Henry could be forced into a fifth change if hooker Keven Mealamu loses an appeal against his ban for headbutting England's Lewis Moody.
Uncapped Hika Elliot has been named as Mealamu's replacement if he misses out.
"This is another challenging Test for the All Blacks and our selection reflects that," Henry said.
"We have huge respect for the Scots and the way they are playing the game.
"They have had some major victories in recent times, including two away wins in Argentina and a win over Ireland this year plus the win over Australia last year, so it should be another absorbing contest between the two teams."
The match represents a significant milestone in All Blacks history.
Skipper Richie McCaw and full-back Mils Muliaina will both win their 92nd caps, equalling Sean Fitzpatrick's All Blacks record, and are likely to break the former All Blacks hooker's mark later in the tour.
"I couldn't think of two better people than Richie and Mils to beat my record," Fitzpatrick said.
"They are outstanding All Blacks, good leaders of men and for me it's an honour to pass the baton on to those two."
All Blacks coach Henry also paid tribute to McCaw and Muliaina's record-equalling double act.
"It is a fantastic achievement for both men and it's great that they are able to reach the milestone together this weekend in Scotland," he said.
"They are icons of the game, have huge respect within the All Blacks, in New Zealand and around the world, and will have many more Tests together in the All Blacks jersey."

All Blacks squeak past England

RICHARD KNOWLER AT TWICKENHAM - Fairfax Media

Last updated 05:40 07/11/2010

Maybe Mike Ford will keep his clam shut the next time he sees the All Blacks riding over the horizon.

Having beaten England 26-16 in London this morning, the New Zealanders gave Ford a couple of reasons to reconsider why test rugby does have the right to be entertaining.

In the build-up to this match England defensive coach Ford let his mouth start gabbling before his brain had any chance to register what he was on about, as he stated the international stage was all about defensive resolve rather than piling on a mountain of points on the scoreboard.

Ironically, England did their share of attacking as they looked to spread the ball wide from the get-go and then dominated the final quarter; they threw wave after wave of offensive movements at the All Blacks, whose scrambling defence was forced to call on all their experience and trust in each other to deny their opponents a win.

All three tries were scored by New Zealanders, with left wing Hosea Gear and No 8 Kieran Read crossing over for the All Blacks in the first half and Kiwi ex-pat replacement hooker Dylan Hartley barging over for England in the second spell.

A rough diamond, no doubt, Hartley - who has form with the judiciary for such nasty acts as eye-gouging and has spent his time with sports shrinks trying to discover ways to dampen his fiery temper - could not resist unleashing a cheap shot at Richie McCaw in the second half when he aimed at his head with his shoulder.

That incident caused an angered Brad Thorn to knock the rake off his feet with a shoulder shove and then things got testy; handbags were swung and teeth were bared.

Maybe the judiciary will have more to say about Hartley's actions, but the television match official, Guilio de Santis, was not so bothered by him scoring his five-pointer with what appeared suspiciously to be a double-movement.

If All Blacks fans thought their side's conditioning would allow them to run amok in the final quarter they were to be disappointed.

Instead it was the Poms that did all the talk with the ball in hand and when Jerome Kaino was shown a yellow card inside the final 10 minutes they just kept on coming and several times replacement wing Isaia Toeava was forced to pull off some desperate tackles.

Toeava's effort on a flying Shontayne Hape - another Kiwi no less - could have been a potential match-saver.

Leading 26-16, the desperate All Blacks were fiercely defending their line when former Kiwis rugby league international Hape appeared to have found space down the touch to score.

However, Toeava managed to charge into him and the TMO was forced to admit Hape had knocked the ball on over the line.

As they look back on this result, the All Blacks, over a few quiet, reflective beers post-match, may have admitted they got too slack after leading 17-3 at halftime.

Indeed, it appeared as if the win would come easily when they habitually found wide open spaces in the English defensive line and it was a classic offload by debutant Sonny Bill Williams, followed by a lobbed pass from Mils Muliaina that saw Gear score.

Execution is key for All Blacks - McCaw

TOBY ROBSON IN LONDON - Fairfax Media

Last updated 13:30 07/11/2010

Action from the match between the All Blacks and England at Twickenham.

All Blacks v England

1 of 16

PETER MEECHAM/Fairfax Media Zoom

All Black do the haka before the test against England at Twickenham.

Related Links

  Match highlights: All Blacks v England 

Richie McCaw says execution, not attitude will be the key to a better performance against Scotland next week.
The All Blacks made uncharacteristic handling errors throughout their 26-16 win over England at Twickenham today, just as they had during their loss to the Wallabies in Hong Kong.

And though thrilled to beat a good England side, McCaw admitted there was a degree of frustration in the visitor's dressing room.

"I think the frustration of the guys sitting in the changing rooms was that at vital times we gave the ball back to the opposition too easily and probably tried to do too much at times.

"They're the things that are frustrating. Sometimes it's because you have been getting reward for those passes when you can see space, but sometimes it might not be quite on.

"It might be a bit of a fifty-fifty and those are the things that, if we are going to improve, we have to get right."

The All Blacks looked set to rack up a cricket score after starting strongly against England and leading 14-0 after 20 minutes, before errors crept into their game.

"The attitude we want to play with is spot on. When the space is there you want to use it. There are times in the game where that's the right thing to do, and times where perhaps a slightly more conservative option might be better.

"Perhaps you could score a try, but holding the ball for one more phase will guarantee a try... you don't want to stifle the guys... but the risk and reward I guess is what we have to get under control.

"Sometimes you are your own worst enemy."

But McCaw also praised his side's character and said the defensive effort was top drawer.

"It comes down to a couple of opportunities in a game and we won because we took a couple of those in the first half and it got tight because we didn't take a couple in the second half.

 "I guess England would be a bit disappointed. Had they scored that try it could have been a bit different in the end, but that's the nature of the beast, you have to nail your chances."

Assistant coach Steve Hansen believed the side were not far off their game despite the error rate.

"We haven't been together for a while and we're rusty and what I'm talking about is our timing.

"You only have to be half a yard out with your run and something that looks like it could be magnificent is actually pushing crap. That's about where we are with our game at the moment. We are half a stride off scoring five or six tries rather than two or three."

All Blacks miss Dan Carter at the death

All Blacks coach Graham Henry has defended his decision to remove Dan Carter in the 60^th minute of last night's 26-24 extra-time defeat to the Wallabies at Hong Kong Stadium.

When Carter left the field the All Blacks were leading 24-12 but within minutes of his exit the Wallabies had scored a try to wing Drew Mitchell and then mounted attack after attack to finally pop open the Kiwis' defensive line.

After Carter's departure the All Blacks fortunes then got progressively worse and when his replacement, Stephen Donald, botched a clearing kick following an All Blacks turnover it allowed Kurtley Beale to launch another counter-attack that led to James O'Connor scoring the Australians' winning try which he then converted.

Carter's appearance at Hong Stadium was his first appearance since playing the Springboks in Soweto on August 22; after that match he had surgery on his right ankle to remove some bone chips and although he had a 40 minute run in a pick-up game last weekend he was still well short of match fitness.

Yet despite the lengthy lay-off, the first five-eighth still looked capable of playing into the final quarter but was shipped out of the game when Henry opted to bring Donald on.

"We just have to make sure we look after people and he wasn't going to play the full game in this game,'' Henry said afterwards. "He talked to the medical staff at halftime and they discussed 60 minutes.

"He has come back from a reasonably major operation in his first game and we didn't want to risk injuring him badly.''

Although he missed several kicks for goal, Carter's ability to run the backline and fire out pinpoint skip passes to his runners ensured the backline ran relatively smoothly, while his defence was also sound.

For Donald, who was playing his first test match since last year's northern tour it was a night he will not recall with any great fondness.

When asked about the Waikato playmaker's cameo, Henry acknowledged it was a disappointing performance.

"I think it was a test of character for the team and individuals. Some of the individuals won't be happy with the way they played and they will be disappointed they didn't close it down.

"Stephen would be one of those guys. Stephen is a very experienced footballer and he will handle it. We will assist as time goes on.''

Meanwhile, right wing Cory Jane, who left the field in the second half with a rib injury, was last night having scans to determine whether he suffered any significant damage.

He is the second wing to suffer an injury in as many days; Sitiveni Sivivatu was ruled out of the tour after failing to leave New Zealand because of a knee problem and may need an operation.

World record target in All Blacks' sights

World record target in All Blacks' sights

MARC HINTON - Sunday Star Times

Last updated 05:00 24/10/2010

There was a day not so long ago when an All Black tilt at the Grand Slam would get the pulse racing on its own accord. Sadly familiarity has bred a certain amount of contempt when it comes to the once mythological feat.

So, as we look ahead to the traditional end-of-year tour, starting next Saturday night in Hong Kong, it's not the chance to sweep the four Home Unions that captures the chief interest. In other words, it's not so much wham-bam, thank-you Slam; but ho-hum, are we done?

Let's face it there's a certain feeling of fait accompli about the prospect of tackling the four nations of the UK and Ireland on consecutive Saturdays. Under Graham Henry the All Blacks have already achieved it twice, in 2005 and '08, with only minor discomfort. In fact, in the "Time of Ted" they've yet to lose a test on a November tour.

And given the way they've played this season, and the success they'd had already against much sterner foes, no one surely expects Henry to be denied a hat-trick of the feat only achieved once previously in the long history of the All Blacks.

Times have certainly changed.

But don't despair. This tour is about more than the devalued Slam. Greater things beckon than a feat eroded by repetition.

For starters the entrée is delectable, even if it too is a well-tasted one.

Can New Zealanders ever get sick of beating Australians? It's a rhetorical question, so don't bother answering. Ten in a row could become 20 and it won't get old.

But just in case extra motivation was needed for the year's fourth "Bledisloe", in the neutral territory of Hong Kong, it must have been provided with the steadfast banter coming out of the Wallaby camp. There's clearly a feeling the gap's closing and, ever the optimists, the Australians have been quick to cling to that lifeline as they predict an end to their All Black bogey.

Experienced All Black centre Conrad Smith made it clear that the opening test would see All Black minds concentrated. He even hinted at a certain determination to, if we may use the vernacular, keep the foot on the throat.

"Much has been said about the gains they've made on us in terms of the results this year and there's probably a lot of truth in that, so this one carries a bit of edge," said Smith, practically licking his lips. "Playing them for the fourth time this year, it can be tough to motivate, but there's enough riding on just the fact the results have got closer and closer."

Dan Carter, who'll be back running the show in Hong Kong, said playing - and beating - the Wallabies still meant a lot to the All Blacks.

"You want to beat them," said Carter. "Looking back on the Tri-Nations we weren't as happy with the way we finished... We felt the South Africans and especially the Aussies were analyzing the way we playing and really closed the gap. This is a big game for us."

This tour is also special because of the numbers game. These All Blacks have already won 15 tests on the trot, and they are on the cusp of two magical marks. If they can win in Hong Kong and then at Twickenham they will draw up alongside the 17 achieved by the great All Black and Springbok teams (see grafic). One or two more and they can unify the division, as it were, eclipsing the 18 achieved by Lithuania.

Don't underestimate how much that record will mean to the All Blacks, if they can knock the bugger off. They may not be saying a lot about it, but their chance to etch their names in history will motivate the heck out of this group of achievers.

Other factors add to the tour's interest. The New Zealanders say they won't hold anything back, and that they will tweak their game-plan to keep the chasers honest. How they do that will be intriguing. There's also the Sonny Bill Williams element. Intrigue surrounds his introduction to test rugby.

Plus most of the senior All Blacks are rested and recuperated. The mind boggles over what they could do to the stodgy northerners if they click back into gear. As Smith points out they enjoy touring the UK because it's different and the fans are passionate. These guys take nothing for granted either, and set their own standards, which is why they'll surely chalk up their third, not so grand Slam in five years.

THE TOUR (dates/kickoffs NZ time)

October 30 v Australia Hong Kong 9.30pm
November 7 v England London 3.30am
November 14 v Scotland Edinburgh 6.15am
November 21 v Ireland Dublin 6.30am
November 28 v Wales Cardiff 6.15am