New Zealand ready for final push

RUGBY:IF GRAHAM Henry was feeling tense and clammy before the semi-final against Australia, he did not show it. Asked what he thought of tomorrow's 9pm local kick-off time, he said: "I'm usually asleep by then; someone will have to wake me up."

“Are you a Kiwi, son?” he asked another inquisitor. “Just play it cool, hey.”

And to another, after Henry had talked about the value of experience, who inquired whether that meant he was a better coach now than four years ago when the All Blacks failed to get beyond the quarter-final stage, he issued the rejoinder: “I will be bloody good when I am 80.”

There were times when Henry was in such a mood during his time as Wales coach between 1998 and 2002, usually when he attempted to convince that something significant was ordinary.

It will be no ordinary Sunday for Henry or the All Blacks. They stand on the verge of their first World Cup final since 1995 and their failed pursuits of the trophy since they won the inaugural tournament have come to define them.

Form and the relative strength of the sides would point to a double-figure victory for the All Blacks. Australia have not won at Eden Park since 1986 and lost at the ground against Ireland last month; no side has beaten New Zealand there in the professional era.

Australia do not have an attacking scrum, their lineout has suffered and they failed in the matches against Ireland and South Africa to provide any sort of platform for their backs.

The Wallabies do have David Pocock, the master of the breakdown, and Richie McCaw will have to be smart against him given his foot injury. Even without Dan Carter, New Zealand have a menacing back division: Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Richard Kahui, Cory Jane and Israel Dagg.

If the All Blacks follow the lead of their coach they will be uninhibited but this is semi-final weekend. No one remembers the losers, unless they are New Zealand.

Australia enter the All Blacks’ fortress under a New Zealand-born coach of their own who is plotting the end of a dream for the World Cup hosts.

Robbie Deans, overlooked for the All Blacks job four years ago, has set his sights on a third World Cup for the Wallabies.

Australia turned in an awesome defensive display against South Africa in the quarter-finals and now look to expand their game against the All Blacks.

“We have to bring more to the table, ask more of the All Blacks because if we don’t, they’ll bring a lot more to the table,” Deans said yesterday.

“There’s many areas we have to do well in just to be competitive in the first instance. It will take a total performance, attack and defence.

“We’ll have to trust ourselves, back ourselves, believe in ourselves, back our systems as well as hang tough when the traffic starts coming the other way.

“It’s very much mental at this point. It’s too late to recreate the wheel so to speak in terms of the way we approach the game.

“There’s not a lot you can do to change your physical state so without a doubt your mindset and how you cope with some of the challenges is key.”

Quade Cooper, the New Zealand-born outhalf who has become a pantomime villain in his native land, has a vital role in a backline awash with talent, even if fullback Kurtley Beale fails to recover in time from a hamstring injury.

Most of the publicity this week in a country desperate to win the World Cup for only the second time since the inaugural 1987 tournament has surrounded the chronic foot injury to McCaw.

But an equally influential figure will be Piri Weepu, who against Argentina assumed the number one scrumhalf spot and also successfully filled the goal-kicking role in the absence of Carter.

“He’s always been a quality player. He’s always had time, he’s always loved the big occasions. If you watch him play he seems to have a lot more time than most out there so that just shows quality,” Henry said.

“Now that Daniel’s not playing there’s more responsibility on nine to navigate the ship and probably take over a bit more of the game, which he doesn’t mind doing.”

Henry was reappointed as All Blacks coach ahead of Deans and tomorrow is certain to be his last game in charge if the All Blacks lose.

“I think there’s a quiet focus there, a quiet determination,” he said. “The guys have been a bit quieter than normal, probably because it’s such a huge game. It’s probably the biggest game these guys have played in 10 years.

“Australia, they’re like a big brother to us, a country of 20 million competing with four and a half million and that is a positive relationship I think. It brings the best out of New Zealanders.

“But as far as this rugby tournament is concerned it’s a semi-final we need to win to win a cup and it so happens that it’s against Australia.”