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 Sub days over Lomu likely to get All Black starting spot
Posted: Tuesday September 28, 1999 04:56 PM
LONDON (Reuters) -- Christian Cullen is likely to play at center for the New Zealand All Blacks in their World Cup campaign starting against Tonga on Sunday allowing winger Jonah Lomu to return to the starting line-up. Early indications from the All Black camp suggest that Cullen will join Alama Ieremia in the centers with Lomu and the dreadlocked Tana Umaga on the wings. The other problem position for the All Blacks, blindside flanker, will probably go to the Canterbury Crusader's Reuben Thorne. Lomu, whose feats at the 1995 World Cup in South Africa made him the world's best known rugby player, has been used as tactical substitute this year after coach John Hart's decision to switch Cullen and Jeff Wilson. Wilson, who has played most of his rugby for New Zealand on the right wing, was moved to fullback this season with Cullen swapping successfully to the wing. New Zealand has been struggling to replace Frank Bunce at center and may have found the answer in the virtuoso Cullen. Cullen scored two accomplished tries from center after coming on as a replacement against South Africa this year and now has 30 tries from his 35 tests. New Zealand held an open practice at Bromsgrove in the English Midlands on Wednesday with assistant coach Peter Sloane putting the forwards through their paces on the scrum machine. Thorne and Dylan Mika alternated on the blindside flank, Carl Hoeft and Craig Dowd traded places at loosehead prop, Dowd then moved to tighthead and Ian Jones came in at lock in place of Robin Brooke. The current World Cup favorites meet England at Twickenham on October 9 in their key group B match and Hart repeated his assertion that home advantage will be important. "The World Cup is a different event," he said. "There is a whole lot of focus on it with media interest. Comparisons are always made between teams, players and coaches. "It is a different pressure and you do have to manage it. A World Cup at home is a huge advantage." The tournament opens Friday with hosts Wales playing Argentina at the new Millennium Stadium in Cardiff Wales named its team Sunday and Argentina followed suit Monday. The Pumas have retained only eight players from the side beaten by Wales in the second test in Buenos Aires last June with Brive center Lisandro Arbizu captaining the Pumas.
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