All Blacks: Strong performances necessary to guarantee a shot at England

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen. Photo / Greg Bowker

Steve Hansen wants greater depth in his squad while also looking at ideas for the 2015 World Cup.

More than anyone, he knows the All Black psyche and has a strong grasp on most of the potential pitfalls in the run-up to the next tournament.

After eight years riding shotgun for Graham Henry, Hansen has the marshal's badge pinned firmly to his chest as he nears the end of his second year in charge.

Hansen will have justified to himself, then the NZRU, why he needs 37 players on this tour and how he is going to get the best out of them as the tour heads to Paris, London and Dublin.

He will back himself and his staff to make inroads with the group and keep them well occupied. A handful will get an early leave pass once the England test is done but more than 30 will make the final week foray to Ireland. Hansen's logic will be that the new players, those coming back from injury and others on the cusp of All Black retention, will be as focused as those who suit up for the last hit-out in Dublin.

This tour is another chance for the All Blacks to make their noise and unearth more information they can take towards their preparation for the eighth World Cup in 2015.

When Hansen went through his ideas for this trip and reversed his original thoughts about a three-test tour, he would have trawled through his touring files.

He would have been drawn to the 2007 World Cup when that All Black party lost their focus and drifted through smorgasbord matches until they reached the quarter-final and could not raise their game.

The coaches operated their rotation selections on that trip and failed to get enough out of their squad. Ten of the team who began the fateful quarter-final in Cardiff had not started the previous test against Romania.

Hansen has gone for a very experienced group to play France this weekend.

That skill and knowledge will go a long way in their work as 11 of the starting XV did not start the test against Japan. Usually such major changes provoke some combination trauma, however they have played a great deal together this year and France are making their first test foray of the season.

A knot of All Blacks need strong performances to confirm they will get chosen for the vengeance international against England.

Cory Jane, Daniel Carter, Owen Franks and Keven Mealamu have been under-employed this year as they have dealt with a collection of injuries. While that has been occurring, Charles Piutau, Aaron Cruden, Charlie Faumuina and Andrew Hore have been soldiering away strongly. They have kept up the standards, now it is to be seen whether the alternative quartet can answer their call.