Rugby: Exodus set to hold no fears

Six veterans are set to pull the pin after the World Cup. Photo / Getty Images

The cleanout is going to be extensive. Daniel Carter, Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith have already said they will be off, and it's likely Richie McCaw will pull the pin after the World Cup.

Keven Mealamu and possibly Tony Woodcock could also pack it in. That's six men who have played close to or more than 100 tests, six men who have done heroic things in a black jersey for more than a decade.

Others who don't have quite the same pedigree but have done plenty for the cause are also leaving. In this group is Ben Franks, Jeremy Thrush and Frank Halai and there will, almost certainly, be others.

It would be easy to panic about these departures, see the volume of players leaving and make dire forecasts about the game in 2016.

It would be a touch brash to dismiss the impact of the exodus entirely, but it's certainly not cause for major drama.

It's all part of what is now a well established cycle. Every international team in the world sees a flood of players move on after a World Cup. It's what happens - it's the focal point for virtually every career and the most obvious landmark around which major decisions are made.

The players, New Zealand Rugby and clubs around the world know this. What we are seeing is the natural order of events rather than any dramatic new trend.

More than that, though, what we are seeing is the advances that have been made in protecting the game here against the inevitable cleanout.

The All Blacks have never been so well prepared to deal with the exodus and should be able to weather the loss of the big names relatively comfortably.

Wyatt Crockett has emerged as a ready-made replacement for Woodcock and Joe Moody is the younger, longer-term option. Dane Coles has already moved past Mealamu and there is a surplus of quality midfielders.

Sonny Bill Williams and Malakai Fekitoa could form a deadly combination this year if they are put together and, who knows, they might be paired ahead of Nonu and Smith.

Ryan Crotty is often labelled a vanilla footballer but what everyone forgets is that vanilla is a classic - holds its own against all the fancier flavours.

Aaron Cruden and Beauden Barrett, with a little help from Colin Slade and Tom Taylor, have impressively held the fort at No 10 in Dan Carter's injury absence. The veteran first-five may provide a welcome reminder this year that he is a once-in-a-generation player and a level above the others.

But while he offers more, it's not as if it will be a drama starting tests next year with a world-class talent such as Cruden.

As for McCaw - well, to an extent he's irreplaceable. It's not as if a player like him can ever be replaced. Someone can wear the No 7 jersey but they won't be replacing McCaw.

Again, though, the All Blacks are about as well prepared for life without McCaw as could be expected. Sam Cane has already played 23 tests, been a member of the leadership group for two seasons and has only just turned 23.

There are real strengths to his game, but maybe the most important thing is the All Blacks already have their successor at openside.

It's much the same with the captaincy. The important thing is the successor has long been identified. There will be no national angst, no vacuum to fill. The job will be Kieran Read's and he'll come into it without about as much exposure to it as he had any right to expect.

The All Blacks have readied themselves for 2016 and beyond without anyone necessarily realising they were. It has been a subtle and gradual process - no mass scale, unpopular rotations in selection. They have somehow managed to win 38 of their last 42 tests and yet develop a host of next-generation players in the process.

The exodus won't be welcomed, but nor will it be feared.