sauce-xtra
Probables 29 Possibles 27
They couldn't quite finish the job, but a valiant performance by the Possibles in the revived All Blacks trial on Eden Park seems certain to turn a good swag of white jerseys into black come Wedenesday morning's announcement of the test squad to meet England.
Many came to this match expecting the shadow All Blacks side, in the form of Graham Henry's Probables, to waltz away with this first national trial in six years. But what they got was a stirring contest, led by the second-stringers in white at halftime, and for 37 minutes of the second spell, that may have raised more questions than it answered.
The Possibles pack probably shaded their opposites on the night and there was a disturbing lack of accuracy at the breakdown and set pieces from the All Blacks-in-waiting. If it doesn't have Henry reaching for the panic button ahead of the test announcement in little over 12 hours, it should certainly have him closely considering some of his options up front.
And on that front it could have been that Blues skipper and No 8 Xavier Rush, with two tries and a commanding effort all round, played his way into the test squad. He was just one of a number of Possibles, including the impressive Nick Evans, the highly rated Sam Tuitupou, the busy Craig Newby and Chiefs leader Jono Gibbes who would not have done their prospects of a callup any harm at all.
Evans, the talented utility, had a fine match on attack and defence and has surely clinched a bench spot for the tests, especially considering Aaron Mauger limped off in the first half with a knee injury that didn't look good. Rush had the better of Mose Tuiali'i who did not feature at all and Henry will have a close call to make there. Tuitupou is destined for a bench role, as is Gibbes, but both enjoyed their night's work. The front row probably also confirmed their backup status, at least.
In the end the Probables got home on the back of a strong finish, the last two tries of the match and a 46m penalty from Dan Carter, but it was a close enough match to have Henry and his lieutenants pleased they re-instituted it, if only to remind them of the work that remains ahead of two tests against England.
The Possibles, with their solid looking pack and bright, young talent in their backline, were certainly capable of giving this shadow All Blacks side a run for their money if they got it right.
And that they did through the first 40 minutes of this clash played in good, if cool, conditions in front of a crowd of pushing 20,000.
The Possibles, courtesy of a useful start and a strong finish, actually led 17-14 into the halftime break, first-half tries to Caleb Ralph and Rush more than answering the touchdowns by Jerry Collins and a resurgent Mils Muliaina for the Probables.
It wasn't exactly vintage stuff through the first 40, but then again neither was it dire fare as both teams took their turns to illuminate this much-anticipated revival of the one-time national rugby institution.
Some of the lineout work from both sides was sloppy through the first spell, and a few too many turnovers were coughed up all round for Henry's liking, but four crisp and well-taken tries and a fair smattering of individual brilliance alone served notice that this was a worthwhile fixture.
Collins' match-opening try, for a 7-3 lead after 18-minutes, came when the Probables flanker got in the way of a Mauger attempted clearance and won the race to the loose ball in goal. Muliaina's was much more classical, the fullback - getting back to his nippy best - dashed clear away when Justin Marshall carved an opening with a huge pass.
But it was the Possibles pack who probably had the better of the possession stakes in the first half and their two tries were reward for that. Ralph's came just over the midway mark of the spell when Byron Kelleher found him with a nice inside pass and the loose forward defence gone, while Rush's, on the stroke of halftime, was the result of a perfectly delivered ball off the deck from Evans that put Tuitupou into the clear.
Rush had his second touchdown just minutes after the restart when he powered over to finish a 5m scrum pushover, the opportunity created by some excellent kick-and-chase work from Kelleher, and when Evans added a penalty a dozen minutes into the spell the underdogs had shot out to a 27-14 lead.
Andrew Hore got the Probables back into it at 21-27 on the 60-minute mark, finishing a move sparked by Marty Holah and continued by Marshall, and soon after super-sub Andrew Mehrtens carved an opening that allowed Joe Rokocoko to spin over in the left corner. In a flash the Possibles' lead had shrunk to a tenuous 27-26.
Carter's long penalty three minutes from the end sealed the match for the Probables, but it was a long way from an adequate performance from the test hopefuls. Muliaina showed some nice touches at fullback, Tana Umaga and Dan Carter had flashes of brilliance in midfield, Doug Howlett and Rokocoko run well in spurts, but there was too little foundation up front for anyone's liking. Jerry Collins looked to have the better of his personal battle with Reuben Thorne for the blinside position.
With Henry declaring beforehand the few "grey areas" that existed on the selection front were pretty much confined to the pack, he will have some hard thinking to do overnight.
The big question had to be just how many of the men in white played their way into the black jersey come the squad announcement?
Probables: J Collins M Muliaina A Hore J Rokocoko tries, D Carter pen 3 con.
Possibles: (X Rush 2 C Ralph tries, N Evans 2 pen 3 con ). Ht 14-17.
