Henry to ignore law changes in selections
By DANIEL GILHOOLY | Thursday, 22 May 2008
Henry to ignore law changes in selections - Rugby news & coverage - Stuff.co.nz


All Blacks coach Graham Henry will not let the many law changes that are set to muddy the rugby landscape affect his approach to player selection.

Confusion is set to reign on Henry's men this year with the players expected to chop and change between different sets of laws. Awwww Poor things

Having adjusted to the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) introduced for the Super 14, All Blacks players will revert to the "traditional" 2007 rules for next month's three home tests against Ireland and England.

It seems increasingly likely they will have to change again for the Tri-Nations starting in July - although that competition's laws have yet to be agreed on - then settle into the new world order post-August 1, when the International Rugby Board opens the door on a global version of the ELVs to be played at all levels of the game.

Henry admits the public, players and coaches will do well to grasp the multiple changes but said his attitude to player selection would never change.

"You're always picking the best players," Henry told NZPA.

"Whether you're playing the old laws, the Super 14 ELVs or the global laws, the better players play the best rugby, I think. So it doesn't make any difference."

Henry accepted this year's Super 14 style was considerably faster under the ELVs than that played last year.

However, that will not affect his first 26-man squad of the year to be named on June 1, six days out from the test against Ireland in Wellington.

The preference of Henry and the New Zealand Rugby Union has always been to stick with the old laws for the Tri-Nations but that appears unlikely, with Sanzar partners Australia and South Africa believed to want ELVs in some form.

"I think we'll be playing some sort of modification (in the Tri-Nations)," Henry said.

"We would just like to see some consistency but it'll be the same challenge for all the sides."

Henry's first coaching work since last year's World Cup failure will be at a camp in Auckland next week involving all his likely All Blacks apart from those involved in the Super 14 final on May 31.

It means players from either the Hurricanes or Crusaders will be a couple of days behind the others in terms of test preparation but Henry is unconcerned.

"(The camp) just gives us a bit of a leg-up into that test week against Ireland," he said.

"It gives us an opportunity to talk to the players and hopefully we can start putting things together for the Irish and English test matches. We've got a very short time once we get together.

"Usually we get a couple of weeks but this time we get one. It's the way of the world and we've just got to get on with it."

Henry said there were a handful of injured players under close watch before they could be confirmed for the camp but he would not identify them.