In the past year, New Zealand have comfortably beaten each of their closest rivals, built a squad of enviable depth and become the strongest favourites a Rugby World Cup has had. The expectation on them is great but the mood in the squad must be excellent, right? Wrong, if Justin Marshall is correct.

An All Black for ten years, Marshall has remained in contact with the squad since his retirement from international rugby in 2005 and claims many of his former team-mates have become sorely disillusioned with a key aspect of coach Graham Henry’s approach.

“I didn’t agree with the rotational policy, neither do a lot of my compatriots and neither do a lot of the players. I know that because I still speak to them,” says the All Blacks' most capped scrum-half, who now plays for Ospreys.

“They don’t know where they stand. One week they could be man of the match, the next they might not be in the squad. That’s the reason that they’re stuttering. Players are getting anxious about whether they’re going to be selected for the World Cup or not.”

Stuttering is possibly a harsh description of New Zealand’s preparations. They have lost only once in 2007, against Australia in the Tri-Nations, and trounced France twice in June. Yet they haved failed to recapture the fluency they showed on the triumphant northern hemisphere tour of autumn 2006.

“In the Tri-Nations the All Blacks had the opportunity to select a consistent team and they didn’t,” he says. “The players looked uncertain. They’ve been dropping passes and didn’t seem as confident as they should have. The team is always revolving. They need to stop that in the pool stages of this World Cup.”

Marshall is not afraid to upset people. He criticised John Hart after the former New Zealand coach dropped him from the side that contested (and lost) the 1999 World Cup semi-final and fell out with Henry when the rotation policy required him to share his first-team place with Byron Kelleher.

Today, he wants to exhume his frustrations with the treatment that former All Blacks receive back home. If Henry’s side do win the Webb Ellis Cup they should not, it seems, expect their fans to cherish the achievement for long.

“New Zealand has a problem,” says the 34-year-old, who played with Leeds Tykes for a season before moving to Swansea last summer. “They’re very, very negative towards former All Blacks. I was the second most capped All Black ever and I received a plaque saying ‘thank you very much’ and that’s it. We never recognise the achievements of the great All Blacks.

“I’ve really noticed the difference since being in the UK. They’re very receptive of their players, particularly in Wales. They’re always having functions, they have a Hall of Fame and players are inducted every year. They’re very good with past international stars.

"Yet I know my comments will make their way back to New Zealand and people will be ‘why can’t he just shut up?’ Giving your opinion, you’re deemed out of your depth, which is weird.”

Any problems New Zealand must overcome in France pale in comparison to those that have blighted England’s preparation. Chief among them is the uncertainty over who Brian Ashton should select in Marshall's position. Since an injury ruled out Harry Ellis, each of Shaun Perry, Andy Gomarsall and Peter Richards have impressed intermittently without making the No 9 jersey their own.

Marshall fears the situation could cost Ashton’s side the tournament. “Your nine and ten are the cornerstones of your team," he says. "Everything works around them. If you look through history, great teams always had a good nine and ten: [George] Gregan and [Stephen] Larkham, myself and Andrew Mehrtens, Rob Andrew and Richard Hill. That’s something that England are really missing.

“I was starting to like the way Harry Ellis’s game was maturing but who knows where he’s going to be when he comes back? I haven’t seen enough of somebody in that position to say that guy is the one to take them to the next World Cup - because, I believe, they've already missed their chance with this one.”

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