Joe Rokocoko said he feels like "a new boy again" after returning to the New Zealand squad for the first Test with Ireland tomorrow. The explosive All Blacks winger has scored 45 tries in 60 Tests - third on the all-time list behind Doug Howlett (49) and Christian Cullen (46) - but was dropped from the 2009 tour of Britain and France.
The 27-year-old forced his way back into Graham Henry's thoughts with his form for the Blues in the Super 14 this season and feels rejuvenated after being restored to the squad ahead of the match in New Plymouth. "I wanted to prove to myself that I am still capable of bringing the best out of myself," he told a press conference. "I felt like I was a new boy again in the team and it was exciting to have that feeling come back."
The All Blacks have three matches, one against Ireland and two against Wales, in the coming weeks and Rokocoko added: "We've prepared really well this week," he said. "Our timing might be off for the first 10 minutes or so with new combinations, but it will come. "I guess the main thing is that we are all on the same page and doing the right thing on the right side of the field." Martin Johnson, the England manager, believes Australia are obsessed with Jonny Wilkinson.
The England fly-half's kicking won the World Cup, at the expense of Australia, when Johnson lifted the Webb Ellis trophy in 2003. Wilkinson was part of the team that repeated the feat in the World Cup quarter-finals four years later. Australia players could scarcely believe England would not start with Wilkinson in tomorrow's first Test. The reality is that Wilkinson has spent most of the last seven years overcoming a catalogue of injuries and, as well as he played for Toulon this season, his Six Nations form was patchy.
Toby Flood replaced Wilkinson for England's last game against France and he has retained the fly-half jersey for the Cook Cup showdown in Perth. Asked whether Johnson had considered playing on the mental scars of 2003 by starting with Wilkinson at Subiaco Oval, he said: "It is a long time ago for us. You all probably need to get over it." Wilkinson is back on Australian soil for the first time in any capacity since England won the World Cup in 2003. From the moment of their arrival, the England team management were inundated with requests from television and radio stations in Australia for Wilkinson to make personal appearances.
Flood is anonymous by comparison, even though he played in the 2007 World Cup final. The 24-year-old is used to existing in Wilkinson's shadow, having been his understudy for so many years with Newcastle and England. "Anyone who comes over here and drops a goal to win a World Cup is going to be remembered and highly regarded," he said. Wilkinson almost produced a match-winning contribution off the bench in Paris - and he warned the Wallabies he is ready to break their hearts once again.
"The local guys have been keen to talk about the olden days, which is great for them and you can tell they are still massively competitive," said Wilkinson. "As a kicker you have to imagine those scenarios. Every time I finish, I ask myself if the key moment was right here, right now, how would I feel? I don't cheat my practices so I will be as prepared as I can be." South Africa take on France in Cape Town tomorrow in the midst of World Cup football fever in the Rainbow Nation.
The match at Newlands between the world and Tri Nations champions and the Six Nations champions is still expected to be a sellout. South Africa's starting line-up contains 13 players from the Pretoria Bulls and Cape Town Stormers, the teams that met in the Super 14 final last month. Only John Smit, the captain, and Ulster's BJ Botha did not play in that game. Scotland have made two changes from the team that ended the Six Nations on a high with victory over Ireland in Dublin for tomorrow's first Test against Argentina in Tucuman. The alterations see Rory Lawson replace the injured Chris Cusiter at scrum-half and Moray Low come in at tight-head prop for the recuperating Euan Murray.
* Agencies
