Magazine - All Blacks not Getting to Train at Etihad Stadium

By Editor in Racing / Equestrian on 29th Jul 2010 9:00

Graham Henry admitted frustration at the All Blacks not getting to train at Etihad Stadium but both New Zealand and Wallabies camps played down the growing controversy over the playing surface for Saturday night's clash in Melbourne.

"I'm obviously frustrated but this is not the major sport in this part of the world. We are obviously second," Henry said of the team not being able to have their traditional captain's run at the match venue late in the week.

Having been bumped off the field because of an Aussie Rules match there on Friday night, Henry was more diplomatic about the state of the ground which has been the subject of major criticism from AFL officials over the past week.

They fear injuries are a real threat. Some claim court action is imminent, others have advocated bulldozing the ground which has a retractable roof and shadow problems that plague the grass growth. Henry said he was "always" concerned for players' safety. "And you are concerned about how you can play the game on poor surfaces," he emphasised with his code on a new high as the All Blacks lead the sport back into a new era of running rugby.

He wanted to see the field first-hand before passing opinion on the supposed slippery surface. "I think there is a lot of noise about at the moment. We haven't been there and we can't train but we are going to visit there tomorrow and we will cast our professional eye over it and see what we think.

"Our informants tell us it's not as bad as has been made out in the media. "But you can't change it - we are playing there at eight o'clock on Saturday night. No matter how much noise there is about it, that's where we are playing. We will do our bets with the situation."

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said he had "no concerns" over the ground. "The playing surface is consistent for both sides and we are looking forward to it.," he said.

"There are sure to be a lot of players falling over on Saturday night and it will have nothing to do with the surface."

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