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England trying to focus on second Test

England’s James Haskell is held aloft during a training session at the AMI Stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand, yesterday. PHOTO: AP

With England failing to pose a serious threat in the first rugby Test, the All Blacks appear to be treating them as training fodder for the second Test today.

It’s been a tough week for the English side, having also to contend with four players engulfed in a claim of a serious sexual assault at a hotel in Auckland, which police are investigating.

The controversy has overshadowed the run-up to the second Test, with the England players denying the allegations, but declining to be interviewed.

At a pre-Test press conference caretaker coach Rob Andrew refused to discuss the accusation and said he was “working on the basis” that the 22 players named for the match would all be available.

Despite the off-field distraction, Andrew said his focus this week had been on the match.

“That’s what we’ve got to do,” he said. “We’ve trained well, we’ve planned well, we think we’ve got a side that can challenge New Zealand which is what we’re here for.”

On the pitch, another titanic forward battle is expected, but All Blacks coach Graham Henry has justified dismantling his winning combination by saying he is looking ahead to the looming Tri-Nations series against Australia and South Africa.

His apparent return to the rotation theory which so spectacularly failed to produce the goods at last year’s World Cup has raised eyebrows in New Zealand as the All Blacks rebuild their squad.

But after dismissing England 37-20 in the first Test in Auckland, Henry had no hesitation in blooding new players before the tougher challenges that lie ahead next month and in August.

“We had to have a major goal of trying to get better in this Test match and also another goal underneath that, of trying to prepare players going forward into the Tri-Nations,” he said yesterday.

The All Blacks have made four changes, including three who will make their debut.

Richard Kahui, who has played little rugby this year because of injury, replaces in-form center Conrad Smith, Rudi Wulf starts on the wing and Adam Thompson will partner captain Richie McCaw on the side of the scrum.

The only other change sees fullback Mils Muliaina replaced by veteran Leon McDonald, who survived an injury scare this week when he collided at pace with big lock Ali Williams.

England have made six changes — five in the backs where they were clearly exposed in the first Test and one enforced change in their forwards where Tim Payne replaces the injured Andy Sheridan.

The forward battle is one area where England are capable of holding the All Blacks and they can claim to have dominated that contest for the first quarter last week.

They have further stirred the pot by questioning the legality of McCaw’s tactics when the All Blacks did gain ascendancy and prop Matt Stevens blamed Neemia Tialata for the debacle of collapsed scrums late in the first Test.

A fuming Tialata denied the charge.

“If you’re going to come out and bag one of the players in the other team then you have to make sure that you back it up,” he said.
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