All Blacks paint target on Quade Cooper

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TARGET: Australian five-eighth Quade Cooper.

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All Blacks second-rower Tom Donnelly says the world's No1 side doesn't even need to have a meeting to confirm that Australian five-eighth Quade Cooper will be one of its key targets for the Tri Nations test against the Wallabies on Saturday night.

Asked about the vulnerability of defence in and around the playmaker, Donnelly yesterday said: ''We haven't had a meeting yet on how we will play the game. We are not sure how we will attack it.

''But I suppose that transition channel through your forwards and backs - all teams look to try and do it … So I suppose it will be an area we will target at some stage.''

The All Blacks, who trained for three hours at Leichhardt Oval yesterday, are certainly wary of the Wallabies' potent attack and the threat Cooper poses.

''They are playing pretty good footy, especially at the start of the game. They came out all guns blazing,'' said Donnelly, who has watched the Wallabies' 41-39 win over the Springboks.

''They got nice clean ball, and when they get that, their backs just tore holes all through the South African defence. It's something we will have to work on, slowing their ball down. When they started getting their offloads and throwing their inside balls they were a real handful.''

The All Blacks are up for this test - as four Australians discovered at training yesterday.

Invited to take part in an extremely physical session were NSW Rugby Union Academy players Locky McCaffrey, Maile Latukefu, Jacob Woodhouse and Damon Anderson.

''I just thought we were going to hold pads for 90 minutes, but they let us join in on all the drills, contact and scrummaging,'' said McCaffrey, who will train with them again this morning.

He said All Blacks coach Graham Henry told them: ''Don't sit back and watch, join in. Do as much as you want. Don't be a spectator.''

McCaffrey said he was ''trying to get out as much from it in two days as I can''.

- © Fairfax NZ News