All Blacks need another gear to ditch Aussies

New Zealand’s coaching team John Mitchell and Robbie Deans today warned the All Blacks will need to up their game or be sent packing by Australia in Saturday’s World Cup semi-final.

Head coach Mitchell today announced an unchanged starting lineup for the hotly anticipated Sydney clash, meaning there was no room for Tana Umaga who was ruled to not yet be sharp enough to cope with the rigours of Test rugby.

It appears the knee ligament injury Umaga suffered 20 minutes into the All Blacks’ opening game against Italy is likely to ruin his entire tournament.

Even if New Zealand beat Australia at the weekend, Mitchell would be unlikely to risk his squad vice-captain, despite his quality and experience, untested in a World Cup final.

Not that Mitchell or Deans, New Zealand’s, coaching co-ordinator, would risk looking further ahead than Saturday’s clash at Telstra Stadium, their third of the year against Australia.

The All Blacks won both the previous meetings, the first 50-21 in an astonishing display, to reclaim the Bledisloe Cup en route to winning the Tri-Nations.

But Deans warned the All Blacks, who have looked untouchable as they surged through Pool C and dismissed the Springboks 29-9 to reach the last four, must raise the bar.

“For us to succeed this weekend we will have to play better than we have up until this point,” he said.

“There is no way we will get home, or we will succeed playing at the level we have been.

“We are going to get some challenges thrown at us that we haven’t had to date. What we encounter at the weekend will be far and above what we have encountered to date. The Australians are an intelligent side. They really probe for weaknesses and who knows what they have concocted.

“You won’t know till the day. So we will have to be alert and accurate defensively and to really use the ball that we get well because they are a side that perseveres.”

Mitchell, who was in particularly perfunctory form, trotted out his normal ’history counts for nothing’ lines, before vowing that no New Zealand side would ever underestimate Australia.

“It’s going to take a massive performance. This is Australia. They’re playing the World Cup in their own country, they’re defending champions and we never take them for granted,” he said.

“We, as New Zealanders, especially this team, never underestimate an Australian side. It would be absolutely foolish to do so.

“They have numerous attacking threats than any other opposition than we have faced to date.

“They’re very organised and very structured and if we are not precise and accurate in what we do we will get punished.

“Both sides are capable of moving the ball. The breakdown area is hugely competitive because of the quality of the loose forwards.

“I think both teams have a more all-round game than other sides in the world and that is what makes it unique.”

Umaga was omitted despite being fit enough to play because the All Blacks coaching staff judged he was not sharp enough.

“You have to be sharp at this level and that comes through speed, quickness and alertness and he has just been out for too long,” he said.

Leon MacDonald will start again at outside centre and retains the kicking duties, while the only change to the match squad was the inclusion of Byron Kelleher as back-up scrum-half in place of Steve Devine.

“He’s got a real presence about him physically and some of his attributes would serve us well this week, hence he’s there,” Deans said.

“It’s nothing against Steve. He has done well in the time he has had.”

But Kelleher has seen no action during the tournament, so it begged the question – how can he be sharp enough?

“Byron has been fit. He has been working with us. He didn’t get much time through the domestic period but has had time through the camps and is well versed in our methods and plans and conditioning wise he has been sharp,” said Deans.

New Zealand team to play Australia in Saturday’s World Cup semi-final is: M Muliaina; D Howlett, L MacDonald, A Mauger, J Rokocoko; C Spencer, J Marshall; D Hewett, K Mealamu, G Somerville, C Jack, A Williams, R Thorne (captain), R McCaw, J Collins.

Replacements: M Hammett, K Meeuws, B Thorn, M Holah, B Kelleher, D Carter, C Ralph.