Mealamu, flanked by coach Graham Henry, speaks to the media in Edinburgh earlier today © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

News: Barnes adds spice to normal fare

News: Brooke demands payback for Scottish surrender

News: Field of dreams in range for Mackintosh

News: Mealamu hooks into new role

News: Six of the best to punish Scots

Players/Officials: Sir Graham Henry | Keven Mealamu

Teams: New Zealand

New Zealand coach Graham Henry is not concerned about the lack of experience in his side to face Scotland tomorrow.

Henry has given three players their debut and selected six more players with less than 10 caps, but feels there are enough natural leaders in the side at Murrayfield. Stand-in captain Keven Mealamu in particular was singled out as an individual Henry can rely on when the going gets tough.

"He's a special All Black in the way he conducts himself both on and off the field. He's a great role model for the other guys," Henry said. "He's an outstanding player. I'm delighted that he's got this honour. He'll captain the way his character is.

"He'll gather information from the other leaders in the team and make a decision and he'll lead from the front with his own performance. We've got a policy of having six leaders on the field. For this game they are Joe Rokocoko, Ma'a Nonu, Stephen Donald, Piri Weepu, Ali Williams and obviously Keven, and they have spoken to the leaders who have been appointed for the year about their role and what is expected of them.

"These new leaders will learn from this experience."

Even some of the novices in the team will be expected to use their leadership skills on Saturday. Henry pointed out that the two debutants in the back row have both captained their provinces this season.

"Kieran Read and Liam Messam have quite a lot of experience at the level below international rugby," he added. "Now they are starting their apprenticeships as internationalists and hopefully this tour will establish them as genuine All Blacks who will be serious contenders for the years to come. That's the beauty of this sort of tour, when you've got five games on the trot and you're together for five weeks you can develop rugby players.

"There is a lot of development going on out on the practice pitch and in the hotel. It is a special opportunity for us to do that and the only opportunity we have during the year."

Henry recognises he has left himself open to criticism by picking such a different team from the one which took the field last weekend against Australia, but insists it is necessary for the All Blacks to do so to get the best out of the players. And he stressed winning Test matches will always be the number one priority.

"This is the only opportunity the All Blacks have to develop a rugby team with some depth to it," added the former Wales coach. "You can't do it in a one-off game against Australia or South Africa, so if we didn't have a tour we couldn't do it at all. Hopefully we'll go home from this tour a much stronger unit, with greater competition for places.

"But it is not only about development. Just because the tour enables us to develop players that doesn't mean we haven't got a huge desire to win each Test match. We haven't come here on a development tour, we have come here to do well, play well, and hopefully win."