The knives will be out for All Blacks coach Graham Henry even if New Zealand down arch-rivals Australia in the Tri-Nations decider at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

As Henry explained in Brisbane: "The knives just won't be as sharp if we win".

Welcome to life as coach of the world's most passionately supported rugby team.

Henry knows all about the old adage "there are two kinds of coaches - those who have been fired and those who are going to be fired".

More than four million harsh critics - also known as New Zealand's population - ensure that.

"It happens all the time, week in, week out," Henry said of the constant pressure.

"And it's not going to change. The knives just won't be as sharp if we win."

Well, maybe a bit more slack will be cut than the All Blacks coach is letting on if they triumph in Brisbane.

The All Blacks simply need to draw Saturday night to clinch the Tri-Nations title.

And a win will also retain the Bledisloe Cup.

Not a bad effort from a "50 per cent new" team that dropped two of their first three Tri-Nations games.

Henry has already avenged July 26's 34-19 loss to Kiwi Robbie Deans' Wallabies in which he admitted New Zealand was out-thought, out-coached, and outplayed at Sydney.

The 39-10 payback win over Australia on August 2 at Auckland no doubt gave Henry and the rabid All Blacks supporters some satisfaction.

But Henry knows the new-look All Blacks' progress - and his job - will be judged on just one game, Saturday night's blockbuster.

"That's the reality, let's not kid ourselves. If you win it's been a very good season, if you lose you got second - that's how we are judged," Henry said.

No wonder Henry described himself as "uptight as hell" when he arrived in Brisbane this week.

Still, if the All Blacks lose and Henry's critics get their man, the New Zealand coach couldn't think of a better game to bow out on.

"I'd suggest the rugby public and rugby in general couldn't get a better occasion," Henry said.

"You couldn't have plotted a better final to this series."

For a bloke sweating on job security, Henry looked almost at ease when asked about the nature of the winner-takes-all clash.

"They've had to stay alive the last three games," he said of the All Blacks.

"If we'd lost against Australia in Auckland or South Africa in Cape Town we were history."

Henry said getting comfortable with the Experimental Law Variations trialled this year and inspirational skipper Richie McCaw's recent return from injury had triggered their Tri-Nations turnaround.

But Henry said the new-look Kiwis' learning curve would have to take another dramatic jump on Saturday night in ensure victory.

"We've obviously made some advances over the season. The team's got pretty close as a group of people, they play for each other," he said.

"There's been a gradual move up the graph as the season has gone on.

"Hopefully there will be another one on Saturday. In fact, there needs to be - we won't win unless there is."

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