Changes kept to minimum as All Blacks pick big guns

• Richie McCaw, centre, will captain the All Blacks against Scotland this Saturday. Picture: Getty

All Blacks coach Graham Henry named a side yesterday with just four personnel changes to that which overcame a spirited England performance last weekend, and while it was always going to be a strong team his retention of key performers such as Richie McCaw, the captain, Mils Muliaina - both of whom will equal Sean Fitzpatrick's cap record this weekend - Dan Carter and Sonny Bill Williams underlined a great reluctance to tinker with the side in the way he has on previous trips to the UK and Ireland.

The All Blacks management made wholesale changes through the 2005 and 2008 tours, sending out an almost entirely second-string XV two years ago, and still defeated Scotland and won Grand Slams, which may ironically have been their undoing. Henry says it did not help their bid for consistency the following year.

They also believe they were caught out at the 2007 World Cup by a failure to properly develop their game after the successes of 2005 and 2006. They have been the most dominant side in world rugby year after year, but have failed to win the Webb Ellis Trophy since its inaugural 1987 tournament. They have been victims of their own success, and are determined not to allow that to happen again.

Henry, to his credit, made no attempt to indulge in spin yesterday and admitted that a desire to tweak their game-plan might have contributed to their failure to maintain their stunning Tri Nations form in recent games.

"Playing well on Saturday is what's important right now," he said. "We're just trying to improve as a rugby side. But we are changing a few things, which means guys take a wee while to adjust to those changes.

"I think the World Cup is in the back of the players' minds for sure, and that can have positive and negative results on players. Some might get a bit tied up, and that results in them making mistakes at times, through an over-focus on not making mistakes so that they can continue to get selected rather than expressing themselves.

"We have also had a pretty good 12 months and have played a pretty similar style over that 12 months, so our game-plan has been cemented into a large degree. But you have to appreciate that teams analyse you, understand what you're doing and try to nullify that by what they do, and if you don't keep changing and trying to improve they are going to go past you and beat you.I think there were signs of that at the end of the Tri Nations, and certainly in Hong Kong against Australia, so we've got to try and do things differently."

The changes hardly weaken what remains the world's No1 team. Williams makes his first start for New Zealand in the inside centre berth this week - replacing Ma'a Nonu, with Conrad Smith, a veteran of 42 Tests, back at outside centre - as the coaches look to see where the 6ft 4in ex-league performer's driving runs and off-loading skills might be best used. Jimmy Cowan returns at scrum-half for the far less experienced Alby Mathewson.

The only debutant will be Hika Elliot, the hooker, who replaces Keven Mealamu provided his appeal against a four-week ban fails, as expected. But two players who took their Test bows at Murrayfield are handed recalls. Isaia Toeava replaces Joe Rokocoko on the wing, opposite Sean Lamont, having amassed another 27 caps since debut day in 2005, while Liam Messam, whose star dropped since his first appearance in 2008, offers a quick and skilful proposition at blindside flanker.

Explaining the changes, Henry said: "Joe Roks has played the last two Test matches. Isaia Toeava needs the opportunity to play. We played Ma'a and Sonny together last week and we've got another experienced player in the midfield playing with Sonny this week. Jerome Kaino got smashed around against England and so needs a bit of a break, which gives Liam Messam a chance."

A further indication of the World Cup focus came when Henry dismissed queries about the possible grooming of a replacement for McCaw as captain.

"If this tour was in 2012 it might have been a different situation," he replied. "We just think that the leadership of the group is pretty well established and they're going to be there for some time to come so there's no need to do that now."

He added: "I do still feel like that players can't play Test rugby week after week, but the main objective of the tour is to improve as a rugby team and if we make too many changes we're just not going to do that. So we have to sacrifice that thought about backing up Test match after Test match to the major objective of the tour, which is to try and improve.

"And you can't pre-judge that (substituting McCaw and others early to rest them]. The Test match could go to the wire and you might want those experienced guys on the field. So although you might want to give guys opportunities it might not work out that way."

Whatever issues New Zealand might have, Scotland must be solid and aggressive game. They must also show a high level of ambition and skill in their first match since June if they are to end to the 105-year hoodoo.

For his part, Henry, who does not tend to talk up opponents for the sake of it, does believe Scotland are a better team under Andy Robinson, even if he does not quite know why.

"I've been impressed by them," he said. "They are playing bloody well.They play an expansive game, have good players across the field and seem to have quite a bit of self-belief, which may be the difference, I'm not sure.

"I'm not in that camp so I can't tell you that, but they look like they're playing exceptionally well and are enjoying their footy. Andy is obviously doing a great job."

ALL BLACKS TEAM:

15 Mils Muliaina

14 Isaia Toeava

13 Conrad Smith

12 Sonny Bill Williams

11 Hosea Gear

10 Daniel Carter

9 Jimmy Cowan

1 Tony Woodcock

2 K Mealamu/H Elliot

3 Owen Franks

4 Brad Thorn

5 Sam Whitelock

6 Liam Messam

7 Richie McCaw (capt)

8 Kieran Read

Substitutes

16 Andrew Hore

17 John Afoa

18 Anthony Boric

19 Daniel Braid

20 Andy Ellis

21 Stephen Donald

22 Ma'a Nonu