The endangered All Blacks list

By MARC HINTON - Stuff.co.nz

OPINION: If Graham Henry is to retain any credibility in the wake of arguably the worst back-to-back All Black performances in the professional era, then the coach has to bring out the selection axe ahead of Bledisloe II in Sydney.

It's as simple as that.

Henry has a fortnight to ponder personnel changes ahead of the Wallabies rematch, but make them he must as he searches for his team's missing mojo. To prevaricate now will see the coach lose the last vestiges of support he has from a wavering public.

The coach simply can't afford not to react to the South African shambles. It wasn't that the All Blacks lost those twin matches in the Republic, but how they lost them. Between the schoolboy errors, the braindead rugby and the complete absence of poise under pressure, the once-mighty New Zealanders resembled a rugby version of Michael Campbell.

Where had their game gone? Had aliens invaded their bodies too?

So, accepting that Henry has to make some changes as he searches for a spark to reignite his side's season, the question is where do they come?

Wing Joe Rokocoko surely tops the endangered All Blacks list after a performance which confirms his complete lack of form, but he's got some company. Henry and his lieutenants must also be taking a pretty close look at hooker, loose forward, halfback and first five, while tighthead prop will also come under the microscope when a fit-again Neemia Tialata comes back into the mix.

First things first. Rokocoko must go. That surely is a no-brainer.

The once classy wing has fallen so far, both in form and confidence, that to continue to select him now would border on cruelty. If Liam Messam got the bum's rush for a couple of errors against the French, then surely Rokocoko is due the same fate .

That would allow Rokocoko to return to Auckland - a rugby side with its own issues - and be allowed to rebuild his game under far less intense pressure.

Over on the other wing it's not exactly peaches and cream either. Sitiveni Sivivatu continues to stud his game with errors and poor decisions, even if with ball in hand he remains the most threatening All Black.

But with Rokocoko set for the heave-ho, the selectors will not want a complete makeover on the wing, so will allow one of their gifted Fijians to play his way back to top form. Hopefully.

In should come Hosea Gear, who deserves his chance, though some consideration could also be given to Cory Jane who didn't exactly disgrace himself against the Wallabies in Auckland. Lelia Masaga would be a left-field callup if it was decided to go the Extreme Makeover route.

Halfback has also become a conundrum. Supposedly the All Blacks were spoiled for choice there with their three-headed monster.

Instead they now have three No 9s simply struggling for form, with no one appearing too happy either with their lot, the game plan or what the heck they're supposed to deliver out there on the field.

Brendon Leonard is out of sorts, and his sporadic opportunities are not allowing him to build form. Jimmy Cowan appeared baffled by his instructions last weekend, and may also be struggling to accept a role that's been whittled down to 40-45 minutes.

And Piri Weepu, the supposed impact man off the bench, has looked way off the pace in that role the last fortnight.

What to do then? They could start Weepu and give him his chance, but that would involve a major back-flip in thinking which is something these coaches are reluctant to do. How often have you heard them admit they've got something wrong?

It's more likely Cowan will be persevered with, and Weepu left to plod on in a role he's less than enamoured with. But if Henry wants to be proactive he could, say, flip the combinations on their head, start Weepu and bring Cowan off the bench. It can't be any worse than the last fortnight. 

First five must come into the equation, if only because you have a player of Dan Carter's class hovering on the fringes now.

My initial thoughts prior to the Durban disaster were that Donald should be left to carry on his progress in the test arena and Carter given more time to rebuild his fitness and confidence in the provincial game. That seemed the sensible approach.

But the weekend has changed my thinking. Donald continues to look so uncertain at times in his backline direction, that Carter must now be all but a certainty to return.

Plus, you have to figure that the All Blacks just need an injection of class, of something different, that the coaches will look at Carter and figure he could be just the man to do the job.

Up front the dilemmas are at hooker and in the loose forward mix, and to a lesser extent at tighthead prop.

Andrew Hore is not firing at the moment and his lineout throwing is horrendous. But Keven Mealamu's pectoral muscle injury is likely to mean a stay of execution for the Taranaki hard man against the Wallabies. Aled de Malmanche would then get his chance off the bench.

Tighthead prop becomes interesting if Neemia Tialata is fit again after his knee problems. Young Cantab Owen Franks has made a pretty good first of the No 3 role in his stead, and there may be a temptation to leave him be (though it's hard to escape the feeling that Carl Hayman can't come back quick enough).

Lastly comes the loose forward mix. Richie McCaw is safe, that's a given, even if he was outplayed by Boks comer Heinrich Brussow at the weekend.

But his mates are not so assured in an area where the All Blacks badly need some impact. Rodney So'oialo has been struggling at No 8 and consideration must be given to starting Kieran Read there.

And as solid as Jerome Kaino has been on defence at blindside, a fit-again Adam Thomson would surely offer much more attacking spark in his best position against the Wallabies.

So, in light of the Boks debacle, and with acceptance that change must come, here's the squad I would select to face the Wallabies in Sydney (and please note I have back-flipped on Carter, due to unforeseen circumstances in Durban):

MARC HINTON'S ALL BLACKS SQUAD: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Hosea Gear, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Sititveni Sivivatu, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Piri Weepu; 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (capt), 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock. Reserves: Aled de Malmanche, Neemia Tialata, Jason Eaton, Rodney So'oialo, Jimmy Cowan, Luke McAlister, Cory Jane.