All Blacks: Players under scrutiny as selectors begin cull

Richard Kahui. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Injuries, form and reappraisals meant the All Blacks used 36 players in their nine tests this season with nine players picked for their international debuts.

Now the cull has started before the squad to play tests in Tokyo, Cardiff, Milan, London, Marseilles before a final tour match against the Barbarians in London, is revealed on October 18.

That group of about 32 players will be involved in a three-day camp in Auckland before leaving for the trip which starts with the fourth Bledisloe Cup test this season against the Wallabies in Tokyo on October 31.

Two All Blacks, Ali Williams and Richard Kahui, who failed to start a test this year because of injury and damaged hooker Keven Mealamu will miss the tour, lock Bryn Evans may also be an injury absentee while there will be curiosity about the claims of several others on the comeback trail.

Rudi Wulf, Anthony Boric, Andy Ellis, Corey Flynn and Scott Waldrom all missed the test programme through injury but have resumed playing recently in the national championship.

Their work, more than any, will be monitored closely because there remain questions about contenders for wing, lock, halfback, hooker and openside flanker backup to captain Richie McCaw.

Nine players made their test starts this season in which the most intriguing chapter belonged to Waikato hooker Aled de Malmanche.

He was on the bench when Mealamu was treated for a head wound against France and raced on to the field thinking he would make a bloodbin start to his All Black career.

However Mealamu was treated on the spot and referee Marius Jonker sent de Malmanche back to his place with the reserves.

The hooker came on for five minutes in the next test against Italy and a minute in last weekend's 33-6 victory against the Wallabies.

Other debutants have been Tanerau Latimer, Isaac Ross, Evans, Owen Franks, Lelia Masaga, George Whitelock and Tom Donnelly.

Others pulled into the squad but not required on test duty were Colin Slade, Ben Franks, Stephen Brett, Anthony Tuitavake and Tamati Ellison.

When the domestic programme ended last weekend against the Wallabies, fullback Mils Muliaina was the most experienced player in the squad with 77 tests to sit fourth in the list of most capped All Blacks behind Sean Fitzpatrick, Justin Marshall and Ian Jones.

Muliaina should pass Jones (79) and Marshall (81) on this tour but has some distance to go to overhaul Fitzpatrick who played 92 tests until his knee packed it in after playing Wales at Wembley in 1997.

Choosing deputies for the side's two stars, McCaw and Carter, will be one of the most difficult tasks while culling the wings and loose forwards will be equally treacherous.

Backup for McCaw will be decided from a group of Latimer, Whitelock, Waldrom and Karl Lowe while prospective backup for Carter will come from a group of Stephen Donald, Luke McAlister, Colin Slade and Aaron Cruden.

The choice of wings is complicated by doubts about Sitiveni Sivivatu's fitness while there are all sorts of permutations in the loose forwards. Liam Messam's early axing from the squad, Waikato's modest form in the national championship and a swag of rivals suggest he will battle to make the tour.

Already a loose forward list of Kieran Read, Rodney So'oialo, Jerome Kaino, Adam Thomson, McCaw, Latimer, Waldrom, Whitelock, Victor Vito and Karl Lowe will have to be trimmed heavily for this trip.