Scotland coach Frank Hadden confirmed yesterday he would take on the All Blacks tomorrow with a side which is likely to bear little resemblance to that which will face Italy in a quarter-final decider next week. In doing so he polarised opinion here and gave the All Blacks their first serious concern of the tournament.
Hadden said months ago that with Scotland's final three group matches being played in 11 days, one of which had to be played in midweek, his priority was to keep players fresh.
By making 15 changes from the side which defeated Romania here on Tuesday - Chris Paterson and Simon Webster remain in the starting line-up, but in different positions - Hadden is effectively admitting Scotland's quarter-final prospects hinge on how they get on against Italy a week today, rather than whether they achieve a first victory over New Zealand.
Asked if he would have made the same selection or followed the same process of resting most of the side which beat Romania had the New Zealand and Italy fixtures been reversed, Hadden said: "If we had played Romania five days after our opening match against Portugal I would have made changes. Three matches in 11 days is not on for players and it wasn't in the amateur era. The schedule has defined our selection."
New Zealand's worry is that they will go into their quarter-final, in their parlance, "undercooked" after less than taxing encounters against Italy, Portugal and Romania and, in what was expected to be their toughest assignment of the pool stage, having faced a Scotland team vastly different to that which would have been chosen had it been a knock-out tie.
New Zealand will top Pool C, almost certainly with maximum points, but they will be up against a quarter-final opponent battle-hardened in Pool D.
The favourites' assistant coach, Wayne Smith, said planning had allowed for this scenario.
"We have been preparing for this tournament for more than three years," said Smith. "We have taken every eventuality into account and we have left no stone unturned."
NEW ZEALAND: 15 L McDonald; 14 D Howlett, 13 C Smith, 12 L McAlister, 11 S Sivivatu; 10 D Carter, 9 B Kelleher; 8 R So'oialo, 7 R McCaw (capt), 6 C Masoe, 5 A Williams, 4 R Thorne, 3 C Hayman, 2 A Oliver, 1 T Woodcock.
SCOTLAND: 15 H Southwell; 14 N Walker, 13 M Di Rollo, 12 A Henderson, 11 S Webster; 10 C Paterson, 9 C Cusiter; 8 D Callam, 7 J Barclay, 6 K Brown, 5 S Murray (capt), 4 S McLeod, 3 C Smith, 2 S Lawson, 1 A Dickinson.
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