The Samoa test in less than 10 weeks will present a unique challenge for the All Blacks selectors.
No All Blacks who play in the Super Rugby final four days before the July 8 test will be considered for the match at Apia Park, but the selectors are determined toname a strong team in keeping with their World Cup policy of consistency of selection.
That means there won't be a host of relative unknowns taking the field, although several are likely to be given a chance to mix it with the All Blacks in preparation. It also means that if the Crusaders don't make the final, which is looking likely, their top guns Richie McCaw, Kieran Read and Dan Carter will almost certainly be involved in the test, the first time the All Blacks have played one in the Pacific Islands.
The squad for the Rugby Championship will assemble before the Super Rugby semifinals which will be held on June 26-27. However, with the Hurricanes, Chiefs and Highlanders still in the playoff reckoning it is possible that a whole host of All Blacks won't be around initially to fine-tune their preparations.
That will give opportunities to those in the second tier, a valuable learning experience, but one which isn't likely to lead to game time in the immediate future. It has been well reported that one of the big lessons learned from the 2007 World Cup failure was that the constant changing of the team was detrimental to the All Blacks' performance.
The selectors are determined not to fall into that trap again, despite or perhaps because of, the relative weakness of their pool this year which includes Argentina, Namibia, Georgia and Tonga.
A strong New Zealand presence in the Super Rugby playoffs will be welcomed by the All Blacks selectors, but if the Hurricanes make the final it will see Julian Savea, Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Beauden Barrett, Cory Jane, Dane Coles and TJ Perenara ruled out of the Samoa test. The first three are virtual automatic selections for the All Blacks if fit, with hooker Coles now considered one of the best in the world in his position.
The lack of depth at hooker will be one of the reasons why James Parsons, who played one test last year - against Scotland in Edinburgh - has been included in the All Blacks' rest rotation this season.
With the Blues ruled out of the playoffs weeks ago, he and Keven Mealamu are looming as critical players in the early part of the test season.
If the Highlanders make the final the All Blacks will be without Aaron Smith and Ben Smith, two players crucial to their game plan. Top Chiefs include Liam Messam, Sonny Bill Williams and Brodie Retallick.
A semifinal appearance by a New Zealand team won't necessarily rule one of their All Blacks out of Samoa, even if that match was in South Africa.
