KEY POINTS:
After 34 tests in charge, Graham Henry has revealed the shape of his All Black side to attack next year's World Cup campaign.
The core of his side is set; the front and back rows, the halves and an optional back three.
The locks and midfield concepts continue
to be investigated while the selectors are always looking for deputies.
When Henry and his panel reveal their 30-strong squad next year after the Tri-Nations their focus will be entirely on claiming a tournament title which has eluded the All Blacks for 20 years.
If they allowed themselves, they might mull over what has gone before, how they began their mission three years ago with a test against the World Cup champions England at Carisbrook.
Three of the original backline remain for Sunday's test against France in Paris but none of them is in the positions they were picked by Henry for Carisbrook.
Mils Muliaina was fullback that evening in the 36-3 victory which started Henry's coaching reign with the All Blacks.
The following two tests Muliaina was also tried on the right wing but at Stade de France this weekend, he will be at centre. "The world's best fullback" is a description regularly bestowed on Muliaina by his coaches. However, this week he is at centre where he has been "exceptional" according to Henry.
Try-scoring machine Joe Rokocoko scored from the left wing against England three years ago at Carisbrook and made an even bigger mess of them the following week with three tries at Eden Park.
This week though cousin Sitiveni Sivivatu is dancing on the left flank and Rokocoko has switched to the right.
The other backline survivor from 2004 is Daniel Carter who goaled all eight of his kicks at Carisbrook in a display which he has repeated many times against Northern Hemisphere opponents. That night Carter was wearing the No 12 jersey with Carlos Spencer in the pivot role.
It was to be another eight tests before the All Black selectors made one of the most significant decisions of their command.
They took Carter as the only first five-eighths on the end of year tour to Europe, blooded him against Italy, continued the work against Wales and then saw him and the rest of the side flourish against France.
Others in that 2004 All Black backline against England were:
Doug Howlett: recovering from a knee injury which took him out of contention for the current tour. In an enormous scrap with Sivivatu, Rokocoko and Rico Gear for a World Cup place.
Tana Umaga: Henry's initial captain and the first Pacific Islander to lead the All Blacks in a test. Retired from test rugby after the Grand Slam tour and is now earning mega-euros at Toulon on a short contract in the south of France.
Carlos Spencer: Henry's initial choice as five-eighths, someone the coach had groomed in Auckland. However he could not extract consistent form from Spencer at test level and he eventually took up a contract at Northampton.
Justin Marshall: Bypassed by the selectors for the end-of-year tour in 2004 when they felt it better for Byron Kelleher, Piri Weepu and Jimmy Cowan to operate without the dominating personality of Marshall.
It was a prelude to Marshall taking up a contract in Britain with Leeds last year before switching this season to the Welsh Ospreys.
Four of the original 2004 pack - Carl Hayman, Keven Mealamu, Chris Jack and Richie McCaw -are in action against France this week with another, lock Keith Robinson, in the touring squad. Those who have departed are:
Xavier Rush: No 8 at Carisbrook whose accidental head clash with McCaw removed the flanker from that year's Tri-Nations.
Rush was supplanted later that year and is now playing for Cardiff in Wales.
Jono Gibbes: Made his test debut as blindside flanker against England and used for much of the year before a damaged calf blighted his tour to Europe.
Troubled indecently by injury since but a huge force for Waikato and the Chiefs and signed again for New Zealand after thoughts of playing in Wales.
Kees Meeuws: Asked to switch to loosehead prop to give the scrum some more power before he decided late in 2004 that the money on offer in France was too lucrative to ignore. Meeuws is now playing for Agen.
So half the side which claimed Henry's initial attention in 2004 remain firmly in his plans for the 2007 World Cup campaign on France.
By then these seasoned troops will all be nudging - or have gone past - the 50-caps mark.
That will bear proof to their skill, endurance and application.
It is also confirmation of the selection and coaching acumen of the All Black panel.
