All Blacks to settle scores

Rugby's autumnal war of the worlds comes to a conclusion today and on the eve of another potentially momentous black and white collision at Twickenham you'd be entitled to wonder who's kidding who.

Bizarrely, it's the All Blacks who seemingly have a score to settle. Think back to Old Trafford a fortnight ago, and the effrontery of Richard Cockerill in standing toe to toe with Norm Hewitt at the haka; Martin Johnson punching Justin Marshall, and then the English lap of honour as the Land of Hope and Glory boomed out of the tannoy. Meantime, a disgruntled looking All Blacks slunk back to their dressingroom.

What's more, many of these All Blacks have a score to settle from their last visit to Twickenham when losing by 15-9 in 1993. Then there is the Zinzan Brooke factor, this being his international farewell in his 100th game for the All Blacks and 58th Test.

"There will never been another Zinzan Brooke," said their coach John Hart. "He has carved a special niche in rugby and I wonder if anybody has ever had such all round skills in the history of the game. He is unique and is as big a person off the field as he is a player on it.

"He brings tremendous nous to the field of play, full of knowledge and nurturing young players. On Saturday we will simply celebrate probably the greatest career in world rugby."

And, as if they needed any further motivation, English manager Roger Uttley yesterday re-affirmed accusations of cheating from the English camp when vowing to bring up what he terms "the street-wise nature of southern hemisphere rugby" with Scottish referee Jim Fleming.

One could well imagine that the All Blacks have talked about nothing else all week. On top of which, there will be the burning desire to maintain their 100 per cent record in 11 previous Tests this year and in eight previous games on tour. They will want to sign off with a flourish and with only one game left in an arduous season, can focus clearly on this assignment.

"We have been very clinical in our performances on this tour and we will want to show everything we can do on Saturday," commented John Hart. Describing their performance in the first Test against England as "slack," Hart said: "We were slightly overawed at Old Trafford but the players are determined to set that right at the weekend."

Yet, lest we forget, the All Blacks won by 25-8, a convincing away win in anybody's language. In fact, it consituted England's then heaviest home defeat to anyone (eclipsed by South Africa's 29-11 win a week ago).

New Zealand not only appear more focused, but more settled, having been forced to make just one change since venting some of their spleen in the 42-7 victory over Wales at Wembley a week ago, with Mark `Bull' Allen replacing the injured Craig Dowd at loose-head prop.

But even though he starts for the first time, Allen is no novice. He toured with the All Blacks party in 1993 and has made seven appearances as a replacement. England will surely try to target this potential weakness (relatively speaking), as part of a desire to slow down the exchanges and make it more of a setpiece game.

However, if the All Blacks score a few points and the game loosens up, it will be tailormade for Allen's mobility around the field and ability with the ball in hand. His performance could be a metaphor for the match, then.

It is true that England were magnificently competitive and aggressive in the tackle at Old Trafford, but the energy seemed to ooze out of every pore during their second-half mauling by South Africa a week ago.

Since then, Clive Woodward has made another five changes, so bringing the number of players used in this series of four successive Tests to 27.

Only seven players have lasted the marathon course - Matt Perry, David Rees, Will Greenwood, Jason Leonard, Garath Archer, Richard Hill and Lawrence Dallaglio - while reputed stars of tomorrow such as Tony Diprose, Andy Long and Will Green are currently yesterday's men.

Admittedly, Austin Healy for John Bentley on the left wing is the only form change. David Rees switches back to the right-wing, where he performed with some credit against Jonah Lomu at Old Trafford and three of the other changes involve the recalls of players unavailable to face the Springboks, namely: Johnson, Phil de Glanville and Kyran Bracken.

Paul Grayson is the fifth change in England's beaten team, deputising for the concussed Mike Catt. Remembering Catt's three missed penalties from inside the 22 a fortnight ago, England's place-kicking ratio will surely be better.

Against that, though, Grayson offers a minimal threat as a ball carrier compared to the more creative and instinctive Catt; and there's been little enough evidence of cohesive back play from the array of English back-lines these past few Tuesdays and Saturdays. It will also be asking a lot of England's pack and midfield defence to reproduce their efforts of Old Trafford.

By contrast, there are grounds for believing New Zealand can play better, reducing the unusually high rate of handling errors (for them) and relatively wayward kicking of Andrew Mehrtens, as well as providing more of a threat from midfield. They will be straining at the leash for this one, and have far more proven potency and attacking ability in the backs - as well as locks and props who can dovetail with them. Perversely maybe, but they feel they've a point or two to prove and as Ireland discovered down under in 1992, stinging the All Blacks in the first Test is not always a good idea with a second one to come. Hence, it may not be pretty, but it could be beautiful.

England: M Perry (Bath); D Rees (Sale), W Greenwood (Leicester), P de Glanville (Bath), A Healey (Leicester); P Grayson (Northampton), K Bracken (Saracens); J Leonard (Harlequins), R Cockerill (Leicester), D Garforth (Leicester), M Johnson (Leicester), G Archer (Newcastle), L Dallaglio (Wasps, capt), N Back (Leicester), R Hill (Saracens). Replacements: T Stimpson (Newcastle), M Dawson (Northampton), K Yates (Bath), M Regan (Bath), D Grewcock (Saracens), C Sheasby (Wasps).

New Zealand: C Cullen (Manawatu); J Wil- son (Otago), F Bunce (North Harbour), W Little (North Harbour), J Lomu (Counties); A Mehrtens (Canterbury), J Marshall (Canterbury, capt); M Allen (Manawatu), N Hewitt (Southland), O Brown (Auckland), I Jones (North Harbour), R Brooke (Auckland), T Randell (Otago), J Kronfeld (Otago), Z Brooke (Auckland). Replacements: S McLeod (Waikato), C Spencer (Auckland), J Preston (Wellington), C Barrell (Canterbury), A Oliver (Otago), C Riechelmann (Auckland).