All Blacks: Tour offers chance of a different approach

Players like Ryan Crotty could benefit from more game time on the All Blacks' Northern Hemisphere tour. Photo / Getty Images

For the first time in Steve Hansen's coaching tenure, the All Blacks may use their end of season tour to mix up their selections and try new combinations.

Consistency has been Hansen's way to date. Having been an assistant through the worst excesses of the rotation policy that was used between 2005 and 2007, Hansen has been reluctant to make sweeping changes from week-to-week.

The composition of the forthcoming tour lends itself, however, to a different approach. With tests against the USA and Scotland there is opportunity to be a little experimental in Chicago and Edinburgh, with the games against England and Wales likely to require the top team to get the job done.

There are various objectives that the coaching staff want to achieve in the next four weeks although none will have a higher priority than winning. In no particular order, there is a desire to start a handful of peripheral players such as Charlie Faumuina, Patrick Tuipulotu, Sam Cane, TJ Perenara and Charles Piutau. Daniel Carter, if he's fit, and Sonny Bill Williams are also likely to be heavily used having not featured at all in 2014.

Others such as Nathan Harris, Ryan Crotty, Cory Jane and Liam Messam would benefit from more game time, too.

Accommodating those needs shouldn't be too hard as the likes of Owen Franks, Sam Whitelock, Richie McCaw, Aaron Smith and Conrad Smith could equally benefit from a a lighter workload on the tour.

McCaw may only play against England and Wales, possibly paving the way for Kieran Read, who missed a lot of Super Rugby due to his concussion troubles, to captain the team against the USA and Scotland.

In the background, the All Blacks also have it in mind that, to some extent, they can simulate what they might encounter at next year's World Cup by playing a Tier Two nation - equivalent of their final pool match against Georgia - and then three knock-out games - against England, Scotland and Wales.

"What we have got to do is use the opportunity to play and give most people a couple of games," said All Black coach Steve Hansen.

"But in doing that, we have still got the background of the States game being the last round-robin game and then treating each of the next three tests as the quarter, semi and final.

"And even though we are making changes, when we get there World Cup] next year we might have an injury and we need you to play so here it is... here is your opportunity to play."

The injection of fresh faces and legs is likely to give the All Blacks a lift in intensity and passion. It's been tough for them in the last two years to sustain their momentum all the way to late November and under Hansen they haven't played with the authority and dynamism they wanted in Europe.

Saturday's performance in Brisbane lacked plenty in the way of accuracy, cohesion and timing but Hansen is confident some of that was down to an element of fatigue and short preparation weeks as a consequence of the All Blacks' long haul travel these past few weeks.

"This week [third Bledisloe Cup test] has historically been tough for us and we have found in the past that with another week at home there is a lot more bubble and squeak by the time we are ready to go [to US and Europe]," said Hansen.

"Chicago is going to be uplifting because we haven't been there and it is quite an exciting concept. That again will be a little different and then we have the three games so we should be able to use our squad and keep everyone fresh."