Scrum of the Earth /

Could Wayne Smith’s pathetic admission of being “out-coached” and “outwitted” by Robbie Deans be another underhand tactic to paint over the increasingly large cracks opening under the current All-Black coaching setup?

Graham Henry et al are under considerable pressure for New Zealand’s poor start to the Tri-Nations and have been guilty of some pretty filthy wind-ups thus far - all of which have backfired.

But is the heat finally getting too much for Henry?

His half-hearted appraisal of the Experimental Law Variations and their current share on rugby’s stock market reeks of desperation.

Letting your guard down is unwise in any sport and openly admitting that Deans’ advantage of a season under the new laws puts everyone else at a disadvantage must sit like a bad curry with the New Zealand public, who treat rugby like religion.

Everyone knows neither of the All-Blacks coaches have experimented with the ELVs, but why couldn’t Henry, Smith or Steve Hansen have spent a season with the Blues and gathered a wealth of practical information and bounced ideas off Pat Lam?

What have the coaching panel been doing all this time?

Henry has always been an excuse merchant, even when marshalling the Welsh and British & Irish Lions, whereas Hansen, 'Mr. Future Plan,' doesn't move easily.

The white-flag attitude of the coaching panel serves only to increase the Wallabies confidence (as if they needed ego massaging), but all this petit excuse making may well be honest, but would Ricky Ponting go around saying, ‘geez, Andrew Flintoff’s got my number here?’

Of course not, win the mental battle and you're half way to victory.