The All Blacks say the Wallabies will be wasting their time targeting makeshift fullback Isaia Toeava or out-of-position centre Dan Carter in Saturday night's Bledisloe Cup showdown in Hong Kong.

Toeava was thrust into the hot seat after Mils Muliaina, the All Blacks' most experienced back, ruled himself out of the match to remain in New Zealand with his wife and new baby.

The 65-Test veteran had been expected to arrive in Hong Kong on Wednesday after becoming a father for the first time on Tuesday when his wife Hayley gave birth to Max.

But his no-show has left the All Blacks with a green look to their last line of defence as Toeava takes over and the uncapped Cory Jane comes onto the bench.

Muliaina's scratching comes just a day after All Blacks coach Graham Henry surprisingly switched Carter, arguably the No.1 flyhalf in world rugby, to inside centre and promoted Stephen Donald to the starting side at pivot.

The backline reshuffle has the All Blacks looking vulnerable and Wallabies centre Ryan Cross issued a subtle warning to Carter to expect a torrid time trying to contain he and hard-running skipper Stirling Mortlock in what shapes as a vital midfield match-up.

"That's how we like to play - we like to be confrontational," Cross said.

"So you can take that how you want, but that's how me and Stirling play, yeah."

The All Blacks had been expecting Berrick Barnes to return from a shoulder injury to oppose Carter before Wallabies coach Robbie Deans announced he was retaining the Cross-Mortlock partnership.

"It was a decision we made some time ago, to be honest. And it's certainly not been done in response to the All Blacks combination," Deans said.

All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith, though, wasn't so sure.

"Once they saw our selection, they probably saw that as an opportunity to run a couple of big guys in that area. That's what I would imagine," Smith said.

Asked then if he believed Deans' selection was made to counter Carter's positional switch, Smith said: "I think it's to put physical pressure in an attacking sense on Daniel and Stephen" before backing Carter and Donald to rise to the defensive challenge.

"Daniel's a tough kid and he'll get stuck in. So will Stephen. The expectations are that they will be hard in that area on Saturday. I'm sure they'll front up."

Deans acknowledged Toeava as a worthy Test player, but admitted he was hoping the Wallabies were able to test him out.

"If we can find the opportunity to isolate him, great. But to do that, you've got to ask a lot of the 14 in front of him," Deans said.

Again, Smith was backing his fullback to repel the Wallabies.

"Ise has been training there. We prepared him there last week when we were in camp. He prefers 13 or fullback," Smith said.

"We thought he did pretty well for us when he came in for the Tri Nations. He was good in the air, defused some high balls. He rang strongly

"But this is probably a watershed moment for him. The Aussies feel he is a weakness, I think, and no-one can go out there and do it for him.

"Ise has got to do it for himself. He's had a good build-up, good week, he's got the backing of the boys, the backing of the coaching staff and hopefully he can go out there and do himself proud.

"He was pretty confident that if he was given a good week, he could do himself justice and the team justice.

"I think he's in a good space."

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