AUCKLAND, 9 July 2005 — The All Blacks are primed to bid farewell to one of their most famous players in style here tomorrow, aiming for a whitewash over the British and Irish Lions in the third rugby Test so Justin Marshall leaves on a high and the tourists go home on a low.
With the series wrapped up after the All Blacks cleaned out the Lions in the first two Tests, and with injuries robbing the match of key players, motivation has become a critical factor in the build up to this final match.
For the battered Lions, all they have left is a desire to get at least one win over New Zealand, but even that has been overshadowed by the London bomb attacks and the thought that they board a plane Sunday to go home to their families.
The All Blacks’ desire is to continue their winning streak and to reward their long-serving halfback with an appropriate victory.
Byron Kelleher will start in the No 9 jersey, allowing Marshall to be on the field to receive the acclaim of an expected 47,000 spectators at the end.
“He will finish the Test match which we think is very important,” said coach Graham Henry.
“He’s been a great player, one of the leading All Blacks in the last decade and we’re trying to achieve two objectives really — one to play well in this Test match and two to give him a big farewell.”
The rugged halfback with an intense dislike of losing, has been a central figure for the All Blacks since first selected in 1995, and he bows out with 81 Test caps, the second highest by a New Zealander, to take up a two-year contract with Leeds in England.
As the veteran Marshall makes his final appearance, injuries have forced the All Blacks to play Test debutant Luke McAlister in the central flyhalf position as injuries to Daniel Carter, Aaron Mauger, Leon MacDonald and Richie McCaw forced unwanted changes on the side.
The reshuffle has also brought Conrad Smith in at outside centre and Sione Lauaki will start in the loose forwards, bringing a new mix which captain Tana Umaga said could be a blessing in disguise.
“We’ve set some high standards for ourselves for the first two tests and we don’t want to drop from that,” he said.
“We can’t rely on just 15 players every week with the length of these international seasons, so this could be a very opportune time to test our depth.”
But fitness problems among the Lions are more serious.
They were uncompetitive in the first two Tests and had eight players including World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson on the injured list when it came to picking a side for the finale.
They must also overcome the added concern of the bomb attacks that killed 37 and injured hundreds more in London.
The New Zealand and Lions managements agreed the Test would not be canceled — “We’re not going to bow to terrorism,” said New Zealand Rugby Union deputy chief executive Steve Tew - but there will be a minute’s silence before the game to honour those who died in the tragedy.
“It puts sport into perspective, however we must still focus on what we are here to do on Saturday,” said Lions assistant coach Andy Robinson.
