Springbok coach Peter de Villiers is not the only rugby coach to suffer from a foot-in-mouth disorder - All Blacks coach Graham Henry has given Australia added incentive before their Tri-Nations title decider by asking if the Wallabies have ever won the southern hemisphere trophy.

Surrounded by a clutch of reporters in Brisbane on Thursday, the 65-year-old former schoolmaster asked:     

    “Have they ever lifted it (the trophy)?”     

    When reminded of Australia’s back-to-back titles in 2000-01, Henry made a good fist of appearing genuinely surprised.     

    “I do apologise. Oh, they have done it!” he said.     

    Defending champions New Zealand have a chance to win their 11th Tri-Nations title at Brisbane’s Lang Park on Saturday in the teams’ last test hit-out before next month’s World Cup.     

    The All Blacks hammered Australia 30-14 in their opening encounter of the abridged Tri-Nations tournament but have named a near-full strength side to take on the world’s second-ranked side, who find themselves in contention for the title for the first time in years.     

    In response, Wallabies prop Ben Alexander was a model of diplomacy and would not be goaded into asking whether Henry’s memory extended to 1987 — the last and only time the All Blacks won the World Cup.     

    “As far as his knowledge goes ... he’s been around for a long time and ... It’s an honest mistake. He’s a very respectful guy,” he told reporters.