All Blacks in Belfast on Thursday

The All Blacks, under new coach John Mitchell, will arrive in Belfast on Thursday and will conduct their training sessions at Instonians RFC.

On Wednesday (November 14) they will travel to Dublin, base themselves in Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel and continue their preparation for the international against Ireland, at Blackrock RFC, Stradbrook Road.

Latest player to be forced out of the tour party is scrum-half Justin Marshall who injured himself on Monday in training and his place will go to 26 year old North Harbor captain Mark Robinson.

Meanwhile coach Mitchell makes no apologies for the way Christian Cullen, Jeff Wilson and Taine Randall learned of their omission from the squad. It appears the news was borne to them via television and radio but Mitchell is quoted as saying that he has no working relationship with past All Blacks but that the door is still open to players through the 2002 Super 12 competition.