NOT THAT he would let it show, but Graham Henry and his coaching ticket are men under pressure. Next Saturday marks the All Blacks' first foray into the Test arena since the national disaster that was the World Cup quarter-final defeat eight months ago and, in a curious way, the Canterbury Crusaders seventh "Super" rugby title in nine years merely turned up the heat.
The Crusaders' 20-12 win over the Waratahs in Christchurch marked a valedictory farewell for Robbie Deans, whose fifth title in nine phenomenal years as head coach merely made the pining over his immediate departure to the Wallabies all the more acute. There were numerous articles in the New Zealand media over the weekend lamenting the loss of Deans, and the Crusaders' victory merely reinforced a popularly held view that he should have been entrusted with coaching the All Blacks through to the 2011 World Cup on home soil.
It would not be dissimilar to Eddie O'Sullivan remaining in charge of Ireland as Declan Kidney heads off to coach England, and some pundits have suggested some NZRFU officials would have been privately hoping the Crusaders slipped up against the Waratahs so as to lessen their acute sense of embarrassment.
Ironically, some of the Australian Rugby Union hierarchy may have wished for the Crusaders to beat the Waratahs, so as to further justify their controversial decision to pick a Kiwi to coach the Wallabies.
One columnist in The New Zealand Morning Herald, Chris Rattue, didn't exactly hold any punches when responding to the Crusaders' win and Henry's 26-man squad announcement by declaring: "The trouble is, this squad is playing for a coach I can't stomach and under an administration I loathe, not only for having allowed Henry's one-trick excuse act to find a receptive audience, but also its determination to run the game like a secret society that almost encourages a state of fear."
The one-trick excuse being that the All Blacks' World Cup "was cut short by an errant referee," the column refers to errors in selection and preparation in surmising that the NZRFU "should have had the balls to acknowledge they got things wrong and the natural order of sport demanded Henry be sacked."
This backdrop should make for an interesting Bledisloe Cup collision between New Zealand and Australia, and Henry and Deans, on July 26th. In the meantime, it seems, any stick will do. Henry was criticised for jettisoning Jerry Collins and Chris Masoe, the latter by text message, from the original squad, and overlooking Nick Evans, as he is leaving New Zealand at the end of the year, by instead choosing the inconsistent Waikato Chiefs outhalf Stephen Donald as back-up to Dan Carter.
Though he included seven of the victorious Crusaders in this week's 26-man squad, Henry was widely criticised for ignoring the claims of their ever-present 22-year-old flanker Kieran Read in preference for the consistently unfulfilled talent of Sione Lauaki, after an unexceptional Super 14 campaign with the Chiefs, and the Highlanders' comparatively inexperienced Adam Thomson.
Whereas Ireland have retained 23 of the squad that went to the World Cup in their panel of 30, only 16 of the 26 All Blacks survive from the World Cup, with Henry naming six new caps to Ireland's one (Ian Dowling). Furthermore, with some of the Crusaders likely to be rested, as few as six of the team that started that night in Cardiff against France may line up for the kick-off in the Westpac Stadium on Saturday night (7.35pm local time, 8.35am Irish) - namely, Mils Muliaina, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Carter, Ali Williams, Richie McCaw and Rodney So'oialo.
The entire frontrow has gone, with Carl Hayman and Anton Oliver having decamped to Europe and Tony Woodcock (damaged toe) out indefinitely, while lock Keith Robinson has retired and Collins has packed in New Zealand rugby after being cut adrift.
Byron Kelleher and Luke McAlister have moved to Toulouse and Sale respectively, while Joe Rokocoko is hors de combat and pending Muliaina's sore knee recuperating, Leon MacDonald is in need of a rest.
Anthony Tuitavake is expected to make his debut on the wing, with Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu forming a hometown midfield partnership and Andrew Ellis expected to renew his halfback partnership with Carter if Brendon Leonard's bruised knee rules him out, and likewise the veteran Brad Thorn - intriguingly recalled after his latest sojourn to rugby league - will be expected to partner Crusaders' team-mate Ali Williams in the secondrow.
However, four of the five New Zealand franchises finished in the top seven of the Super 14 and as Michael Bradley observed, "The All Blacks are moving on from the World Cup and that's reflected in the new caps. I think with 10 or 11 of the guys involved at the World Cup that was bound to happen, but it's an All Black team and we've yet to see a weak one. It will even enthuse the All Black camp by having new personnel involved."
All true, undoubtedly, but these are testing times for Henry.
