Henry looks to build on latest high standard

IRELAND v NEW ZEALAND NEWS:NEW ZEALAND arrived in their Dublin base from Edinburgh yesterday evening in rude health as they begin to prepare for Saturday's Test match against Ireland.

Apart from the suspended Keven Mealamu, All Blacks’ coach Graham Henry expected to have a full panel from which to select.

He did add the rider that wing Corey Jane had returned to training last week but didn’t take contact, something he would do, starting today when the team undertake a recovery games session at Donaghmore Ashbourne GAA club. Henry admitted: “I think the objective of the tour is to build a team (for the future). I think we made some progress on Saturday (against Scotland) and would like to continue that over the next two weeks. Building the team is the philosophy.

“It means we won’t make too many changes. We haven’t had a meeting of the selectors (they were due to do so later that night). There might be one or two guys who need a bit of time on the paddock so to speak; to freshen up. In some cases it might be counter-productive to have guys play three games in a row: in others it won’t.”

New Zealand’s thumping 49-3 victory over the Scots offered a better representation of the form that saw them win the 2010 Tri-Nations in terms of the accuracy of execution and an unrelenting aggression.

Henry conceded: “We played with great physicality which I didn’t think we did in the first two matches of the tour. It’s just good to see the guys set that high standard again with the intensity and the physicality.

“Guys were frustrated with their performance against England and Australia; we were just a bit off the pace. The Tri-Nations was a big goal for us after 2009 and I just wondered whether the edge was taken off because we had achieved such a big goal. I was very pleased on Saturday to see the edge is still there.”

The coach “had a bit of a peep” at Ireland’s game against the Springboks reckoning it could have gone either way before elaborating on the challenge he expects his team to face on Saturday. “We have always respected them and had difficult games, generally speaking. I think we need to talk about ourselves. We set a standard on Saturday and I think it is very important that we try and increase that standard and improve on that; it’s the benchmark.

“They’ll (Ireland) be up for it won’t they? The Irish are always really competitive rugby team and they’ll be the same at the weekend.”