By WYNNE GRAY
Remember the list. Last October it held the names of 21 players not considered for the All Blacks' end-of-year tour.
They all had varying levels of injury, ailments which included burnout, broken bones, disc prolapses, knee and ankle problems.
Fourteen of the afflicted were Crusaders, which provoked one cynical interpretation that coaching co-ordinator Robbie Deans had arranged the stand-down so they would be ready for the Super 12.
A decent look at the list, however, confirmed the cumulative effects of top players not getting adequate rest between seasons.
Greg Somerville, Scott Robertson and Caleb Ralph had all played more than 80 games in three years without a proper off-season break.
Coach John Mitchell put the situation into context.
Pre-Christmas was the only time for the injured or jaded to have surgery and rehabilitate so they could challenge properly for places for the fifth World Cup.
It was also a chance to try a swag of youngsters who had excelled in the NPC and could be tested further as All Blacks against England, France and Wales. It was a win-win situation for the selectors. The outcome of those decisions was revealed at the Ponsonby Rugby Club on Monday night when the 30 players for the World Cup were named.
Five of the new faces on last year's tour - Steve Devine, Ali Williams, Rodney So'oialo, Keven Mealamu and Daniel Braid - were Australia-bound.
Eight senior players left out of the tour to recuperate have not regained their All Black places, including loose-forward Robertson who had been labelled the 2002 Tri-Nations player of the season.
So much for selectorial favouritism.
Same with Otago hooker Tom Willis who had been an All Black midweek captain but is now rated outside the best trio.
There is always some fortune in selection and that break has gone the way of Ralph and Ben Blair. The pressure on the duo eased because of Rico Gear's broken collarbone and the selectors' aversion towards Christian Cullen.
Misfortune also went the way of lock Simon Maling. He is the next-best leaper in the land, he could have been a strong component at opposed lineout sessions. But he fell when the selectors went for 14 backs and a breakaway as their extra forward.
The old crew such as Cullen, Andrew Mehrtens, Taine Randell and Anton Oliver possibly merited places with their experience. But that seniority may also have counted against them.
They were not the type to sit quietly in the background.
The option was to go for excited, talented youth as the backup, players whose allegiance would be unchallenged.
Training camps
* September 1-5 Whangarei.
* September 9-12 Gisborne.
* September 16-19 New Plymouth.
* September 23-26 Nelson.
* September 30-October 3 Methven.
All Blacks test schedule/scoreboard
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