Relaxed Henry not flattering to deceive

GRAHAM HENRY came close to killing Ireland with kindness yesterday, love-bombing Declan Kidney and his team with the sort of flattery that would make the worst egotist blush.

The Kiwi coach may well have gilded the lily but his were no empty words — he backed up his eulogy by selecting his strongest possible starting XV for Saturday’s test at Croke Park.

Dan Carter returns at ten after his sabbatical at inside centre, while Mils Muliaina parachutes straight back in at full-back after his brief parental leave to a side which, like Ireland’s, values the comfort of experience over the promise of youth.

That much was evidenced in what were seen to be two of the more marginal decisions based on the length of the tour and the need to give every player sufficient time and space for some R&R.

The older head won the vote in both instances, with Conrad Smith chosen at outside centre over Richard Kahui and Ali Williams getting the nod ahead of Anthony Boric at lock. In all, there are 11 changes to the side that saw off the Scots.

“It’s the best team we can put on the track for this particular game,” said Henry. “There is a lot of experience. There are well over 600 caps there and most of these guys have played together in the Tri-Nations.

“There are a lot of combinations there that have won trophies, like the Bledisloe Cup and the Tri-Nations, in recent times and that is a positive.”

It is no easy juggling act Henry and his coaching staff are having to perform. The visitors have been playing rugby almost continually since February and training sessions are being pared down to the bare minimum to stave off staleness. Yesterday’s was held on astroturf tennis courts to counteract the soft ground.

“You can’t play players too much or guys that have a niggle. It’s called, in the old days, rotation. Don’t mention that word. You need to keep people at a reasonable peak so they can play an extended season and with reasonable sharpness.”

The decision to plump for so many first-choice players this week, and the need to mix and match personnel on such a demanding trip, raises interesting permutations for the last two test matches in Cardiff and London.

One member of the Kiwi press corps suggested that the Welsh and English merited such a powerful line-up more than Ireland on the basis of last weekend’s games, but the feeling is that Henry may well field a less glittering side against the Grand Slam champions.

“We haven’t looked ahead. There has been some thought about Munster but none on Wales or anything else. This is going to be a hugely contested Test match. The Irish have a very fine side and there is a lot of depth in Irish rugby.

“They are the European champions at club level, they probably have two of the best sides at club level in Europe and they played very well on the southern tour recently and could have won both games. They were unfortunate.”

That was the first of countless homages for the hosts from Henry in a relaxed press conference which touched on New Zealand’s climactic conditions, the play Alone It Stands and the world’s sexiest sportsman — it’s David Beckham apparently and not Dan Carter, who is 11th.

Time and again, mention was made of Ireland’s last two trips to New Zealand, both of which saw them come close to claiming the side’s first ever win over the All Blacks. The team’s propensity to attack with ball in hand has left a mark too.

Brian O’Driscoll, Rob Kearney and Luke Fitzgerald were all name-checked in glowing fashion. So too was the Munster-dominated pack and Declan Kidney whose lack of experience at national level isn’t an area ripe for exploitation, according to Henry.

“Change sometimes brings the best out of a team. Although Declan is a new coach at this level, he has coached most of the Irish boys before. The transition won’t be too difficult for him. It might actually be stimulating.”

All Blacks all coy on Munster front

THE banter is likely to flow as smoothly as the pints next Tuesday when New Zealand face Munster in Limerick and Graham Henry, pictured, got the ball rolling yesterday.

“There was a play made of it, wasn’t there?” quipped the All Blacks coach when asked about the anniversary game. “A movie? All sorts of things. It must have been a hell of a big occasion. No, we are well aware of it. You guys have reminded us of it many times and we’re looking forward to it.

“It will be a marvellous encounter and the humour around the day will be great. The mixing of the two different nationalities will be superb but we are just concentrating on the weekend for now.

“That’s not to say that the guys who are not playing in this game won’t already be preparing for that one but it’ll be low-key and under the radar, we hope.”