Assistant coach Wayne Smith insisted New Zealand would not field a weakened team against Canada on Saturday just a week before the All Blacks begin their Tri-Nations campaign in South Africa. New Zealand completed a 2-0 series win over France at the weekend with a 61-10 rout in Wellington, and are preparing to face Canada in Hamilton with more than one eye on the clash with the Springboks in Durban seven days later.
Smith admitted it was tempting to rest key players before the Tri-Nations, but said the tactic could backfire.
”You risk dropping your standards if you do that,” Smith told reporters in Wellington on Tuesday.
”We’re still working on specifics in our game. We’ll probably take one or two things and really try to hone those this weekend,” added Smith, who said skipper Richie McCaw may be rested due to continuing hip problems.
Flyhalf Dan Carter is set to return to the line-up when coach Graham Henry announces his team on Wednesday.
Carter rolled his ankle and came off at halftime in the first Test against the French, and was a late withdrawal from the second Test starting line-up.
”His [Carter] biggest issue was being able to punt the ball, [his foot] was sore on impact,” Smith said. – Reuters