Scotland v New Zealand:ALL BLACKS hooker Keven Mealamu last night had some success in his appeal against a four-week ban for head-butting, but will still miss the match with Scotland today as part of what is now a two-week suspension. The ban, imposed for an attack on the England's Lewis Moody, means the All Blacks will have to make a fifth change to their Murrayfield line-up.
After assurances from New Zealand assistant coach Steve Hansen that the 31-year-old hooker “hasn’t got a dirty bone in his body”, the three-man appeal panel looked at the video clip of last Saturday’s incident, which appears to show Mealamu’s head making contact with the back of Moody’s as he lay on the Twickenham turf, and reduced the punishment.
The original citing was made for striking an opponent with the head. Although the International Rugby Board appeal committee said it “upheld the original decision that there had been an act of foul play”, it “concluded that the act was not intentional”, hence the reduction.
Back home the appeal has not received 100 per cent approval, some even suggesting that motives other than justice may have been in play. Hika Elliot, the hooker nominated to understudy Mealamu, is not a household name and made his only appearance for New Zealand in Munster on their previous trip to the Northern Hemisphere, while the reserve hooker, Andrew Hoare, has not played since the last match on that tour in Marseille following a shoulder operation in May.
However, Graham Henry wanted his All Blacks close to full strength to face an improving Scotland side who have won three Tests on the bounce – in Ireland and Argentina. In the recent past Henry has taken liberties with his Murrayfield selections, but this time he has limited his changes.
Dan Carter and Richie McCaw start, and a gameplan has been worked out that is based on considerable homework by the assistant coach, Wayne Smith.
“I spent a fair bit of time between the Tri-Nations and now looking at their last seven games,” Smith said this week. “We looked at the differences in their game, we’ve done a bit of homework.
“In 2008 they tried an open, expansive game against us, with (Ben) Cairns and (Nick) de Luca in midfield they spread everything. They were quite a handful,” said Smith, who added he is expecting much the same today.
“Teams are clearly targeting the law changes, they’ve understood the advantages a team with ball in hand gets. Every team is going to develop that sort of game.”
The Scots, despite a lot of hard work in camp last week, are bound to be rusty after a five-month Test lay-off, while the All Blacks have played back-to-back games against Australia and England.
Andy Robinson’s side will have to counter a vast difference in experience. While McCaw and the fullback Mils Muliaina today equal Sean Fitzpatrick’s All Blacks record of 92 Tests, Robinson gives starting debuts to two forwards, the 6ft 9in 21-year-old secondrow Richie Gray and the number eight Richie Vernon.
Two more would-be debutants are on the replacements’ bench in Glasgow outhalf Ruaridh Jackson and Greig Laidlaw, nephew of former Lions scrumhalf Roy Laidlaw, who was called up when Rory Lawson’s hand failed to heal.
Even without the All Blacks still smarting at what they see as an injustice, all four seem destined for rapid rise in their learning curve.
Guardian Service
NEW ZEALAND:Mils Muliaina (Waikato) Isaia Toeava(Auckland) Conrad Smith(Wellington) Sonny Bill Williams(Canterbury) Hosea Gear (Wellington) Dan Carter (Canterbury) Jimmy Cowan (Southland) Tony Woodcock (Auckland) Hika Elliott (Hawkes Bay) Owen Franks (Canterbury) Brad Thorn (Canterbury) Sam Whitelock (Canterbury) Liam Messam (Waikato) Richie McCaw (Canterbury, capt) Kieran Read (Canterbury) Replacements: 16 Andrew Hore (Taranaki), 17 John Afoa (Auckland), 18 Anthony Boric (North Harbour), 19 Daniel Braid (Auckland), 20 Andy Ellis (Canterbury), 21 Stephen Donald (Waikato), 22 Ma'a Nonu (Wellington)
SCOTLAND: (Stade Français) Hugo Southwell (Toulon) Rory Lamont (Glasgow) Max Evans (Glasgow) Graeme Morrison (Scarlets) Sean Lamont (Cardiff Blues) Dan Parks (Edinburgh, capt) Mike Blair (Edinburgh) Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh) Ross Ford (Northampton) Euan Murray (Glasgow) Richie Gray (Gloucester) Jim Hamilton (Saracens) Kelly Brown (Glasgow) John Barclay (Glasgow) Richie Vernon Replacements: 16 Scott Lawson, 17 Alasdair Dickinson (both Gloucester), 18 Nathan Hines (Leinster), 19 Ross Rennie (Edinburgh), 20 Rory Lawson (Gloucester), 21 Ruaridh Jackson (Glasgow), 22 Nikki Walker (Ospreys)
