He turned to a compatriot and whispered: "Wasn't it their guy (Brad Thorn) who was done for foul play?"
It has been that sort of buildup to what should be another massive All Blacks-Springboks Tri-Nations test here tomorrow -- where either the claims or counter-claims have merit depending on whether you wear black or green-tinted glasses.
The stakes are high when two injured captains who are normally saints of self-restraint enter the slanging match.
Springboks skipper John Smit, bitter at Thorn receiving just a one-week suspension for the lifting tackle on him at Wellington, reckoned the All Blacks receive preferential treatment.
Counterpart Richie McCaw, who is also missing the Carisbrook test with injury, surprisingly struck back at Smit today.
"I thought it was quite amusing that he said that as he was climbing on the plane to go home," McCaw told Radio Sport.
"If you're going to throw sticks you do it on the field, I reckon."
The coaching friction continued today too as Henry and Springboks counterpart Peter de Villiers juggled the hot potato of late, high tackles.
Henry has said the visitors were guilty of them at Wellington, along with some less-noticeable niggles and would remind his players not to retaliate.
"If you lose your discipline, you won't play as well as you should and there will be consequences if you do," Henry said.
"I think playing with discipline is critical and it is something that we stress and we stress during the game and stress at halftime."
Henry needs only hark back three years to when the teams last met at Carisbrook and former All Blacks flanker Jerry Collins took out his frustration with his fists, resulting in a two-week suspension.
De Villiers quipped that the need for discipline was a rare thing that he and Henry appeared to agree on.
However, he mocked New Zealand's complaints about off-the-ball physicality, effectively telling them to harden up.
"It's great for me to see how people pick up things that were part of the game for 100 years," he said.
"Late tackles, there will be more in 100 years from now and that's why the referees are there, to police that.
"I've been tackled late in school games and provincial games and nobody ever put it in the paper."
Springboks first five-eighth Butch James was the most prominent offender in New Zealand eyes, making two apparent high tackles that went unpenalised and two late shots on opposite Daniel Carter, one of which was deemed illegal.
Springboks backs coach Dick Muir said James hadn't been asked to change a thing.
"We want him to up that a bit," Muir smiled.
"No. Certainly that's what has made Butch the player that he is. It will be physical."
James has been relieved of the goalkicking duties by the return of fullback Percy Montgomery, whose selection in place of the lively Conrad Jantjes indicates the visitors may adopt a more kicking-based approach.
Henry expected his still-developing side would confront an even more ferocious and direct Springboks challenge than last week.
"I think there will be a bit of edge there, they have come over to win obviously and I think they thought they might do that in the first test in Wellington," he said.
"So they will be absolutely desperate and I think that will come out in the way they play the game."
The South Africans will regain the world No 1 ranking if victorious, as well as end a decade of defeat on New Zealand soil and 77 years of failure at Carisbrook.
They are sure to attack the New Zealand lineout and hope for the same success they enjoyed in the second half at Wellington.
Importantly for the All Blacks, lock Ali Williams has trained well on his sore ankle and will provide key support for rookie Anthony Boric.
It will be a success for them simply to match Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha, who start their 40th test together, not far from the world locking combination record of 45 held by All Blacks Ian Jones and Robin Brooke.
The disparity in test caps is even greater than at Wellington, with the Springboks boasting 593 to 356.
It is New Zealand's least experienced team since a mix and match outfit scraped to victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires more than two years ago.
