New Zealand captain Richie McCaw is backing the change in coaching duties for Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith.

Hansen is now working on attack with Wayne Smith taking over defensive duties from Henry, who has a more hands-on role with the forwards.

McCaw is adamant the onus is not just on the coaches to improve things after an indifferent Tri-Nations campaign which saw them lose three times to South Africa who claimed their first title since 2004.

"Certainly they talked to us about how we could change things up a little bit without being too drastic," the skipper told reporters after the squad's first hit-out in Auckland.

"We had a discussion about it with the senior players. A different voice has got to be good. I think the senior players, well all the players, have got to take responsibility too."

The openside flanker also insisted the switch was not a means of removing Hansen from the forwards coaching role after problems with the line-out during the nine Tests this year.

"Obviously the three coaches have all decided that that's what was needed. If you look at the line-out at the last Test we always believed that it wasn't far wrong. What we're going to do now isn't going to be a lot different at all," McCaw said.

"I don't think that has got much to do with it. Steve is a back himself and has some great ideas about how to play. I think it's a great way to have the same sort of thing but a different way of putting it across."

The squad has two more days of training in Auckland before they depart for Japan on Sunday to prepare for the final Bledisloe Cup match of the year against Australia in Tokyo.

Luke McAlister, still nursing his tender ankle, was the only player not taking a full part in drills which saw the group split into forwards and backs.

The pack worked on mostly on the line-out, which included the use of a platform that simulates a lock at the peak of his jump, while the backs paid particular focus on kicking and receiving kicks.

"I think players and coaches and the whole group want to prove themselves, so there was probably a wee bit more tension, and a little bit more focus," Henry said.

"Remember we went to Hong Kong last year off the back of winning the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup and felt pretty good. We were lucky to get through that game and then went on and had a Grand Slam."

Henry is targeting the game against Australia, knowing it will set the platform for the whole tour which sees the All Blacks take on Wales, Italy, England and France before rounding things off with a match against the Barbarians.

The Wallabies will be without former captain Stirling Mortlock who will miss the Test on October 31 plus his side's match with England the following weekend.

But Henry believed Robbie Deans' side would be firing regardless after losing all three Tests against their trans-Tasman foes so far this year.

"They're going to be at their best mentally aren't they for this game. They've also made a change of captain, and when you make changes like that it creates a little upward movement on the graph, so I think Rocky [Elsom] will be good.

"It means senior players overlooked for those senior roles want to prove themselves and its 3-0 so they'll be at the peak of their powers mentally, and we've got to handle that.

"I think if we can set that foundation for the first game you get the momentum going. The Welsh game second up and the Australia game, I think, are critical as to how we go on this tour."