Rugby: Super final to decide team for Samoa test

New All Blacks Nehe Milner-Skudder and Waisake Naholo, above, could clash in the final. Photo / Getty Images

Any players disappointed to not hear their name called at yesterday's All Blacks announcement will now have a firm rooting interest in the Super Rugby semifinals.

The 41-man squad for the first five tests of the year featured five new faces, but that number could swell as soon as next week. With Steve Hansen expressing a desire to select a 29-strong group for the historic clash against Samoa, success for the Hurricanes and Highlanders will leave the All Blacks caught short.

No player who features in the Super Rugby final will make the trip to Apia and, with 17 of the initial 41 involved in Saturday's semifinals, victory for the New Zealand teams will see a huge crop of players culled for the season-opening test.

The selectors would be left with five places to fill, fringe players such as Chiefs halfback Brad Weber, Blues hooker James Parsons and Crusaders lock Dominic Bird could earn a reprieve, but only if their franchise rivals do them a favour.

"There will be some people who will be disappointed, and you can understand that because it was a very tough team to pick," Hansen said. "But [the Samoa test] may even mean we have to bring in some extra players.

"There's some guys who we deliberately left out of the 41 who were on the fringe, because they can play for the Baabaas and they can play for the Maori side."

Even if the season ends this weekend for the Hurricanes' or Highlanders' All Blacks, their availability doesn't necessarily guarantee their involvement against Samoa. Hansen was wary of the high workloads some players had endured in guiding their franchises to the final four, with the likes of Ben Smith (1092 minutes), Julian Savea (1087) and Conrad Smith (1080) potentially in need of a week off.

"We'll go through them as individuals and see how many minutes they've had this season," Hansen said. "Some have been really high. We're taking 29 to Samoa, so there will be some who can come over but hopefully we don't have to use the high-end guys. We'll just give them a week."

The number of players carrying injury creates another complication in all the sums. Nepo Laulala and Andy Ellis have already been named as injury replacements for Charles Faumuina and Tawera Kerr-Barlow, respectively, while Israel Dagg and Charles Piutau are also short of fitness.

"You're concerned that they're not back on the playing field, but they're not career-ending injuries," Hansen said. "I'm confident that our medical crew will get them right."

Forwards:

Hookers

Dane Coles - Hurricanes / Wellington (27)

Hikawera Elliot - Chiefs / Poverty Bay (3)

Keven Mealamu - Blues / Auckland (123)

Codie Taylor - Crusaders / Canterbury *

Props
Wyatt Crockett - Crusaders / Canterbury (27)
Charlie Faumuina - Blues / Auckland (20)
Ben Franks - Hurricanes / Hawke's Bay (31)
Owen Franks - Crusaders / Canterbury (57)
Joe Moody - Crusaders / Canterbury (8)
Tony Woodcock - Blues /North Harbour (110)

Locks
James Broadhurst - Hurricanes / Taranaki *
Brodie Retallick - Chiefs / Bay of Plenty (36)
Luke Romano - Crusaders / Canterbury (17)
Jeremy Thrush - Hurricanes / Wellington (11)
Samuel Whitelock - Crusaders / Canterbury (62)

Loose forwards
Sam Cane - Chiefs / Bay of Plenty (22)
Jerome Kaino - Blues /Auckland (56)
Richie McCaw (captain) - Crusaders / Canterbury (137)
Liam Messam - Chiefs / Waikato (40)
Kieran Read - Crusaders / Canterbury (72)
Matt Todd - Crusaders / Canterbury (2)
Victor Vito - Hurricanes / Wellington (26)

Backs:

Halfbacks

Tawera Kerr-Barlow - Chiefs / Waikato (15)

TJ Perenara - Hurricanes / Wellington (11)

Aaron Smith - Highlanders / Manawatu (38)

First five-eighths
Beauden Barrett - Hurricanes / Taranaki (28)
Daniel Carter - Crusaders / Canterbury (102)
Colin Slade - Crusaders /Canterbury (17)
Lima Sopoaga - Highlanders / Southland *

Midfielders
Ryan Crotty - Crusaders / Canterbury (13)
Malakai Fekitoa - Highlanders / Auckland (8)
Ma'a Nonu - Hurricanes / Wellington (94)
Conrad Smith - Hurricanes / Wellington (85)
Sonny Bill Williams - Chiefs / Counties Manukau (23)

Outside backs
Israel Dagg - Crusaders /Hawke's Bay (46)
Cory Jane - Hurricanes / Wellington (48)
Nehe Milner-Skudder - Hurricanes / Manawatu *
Waisake Naholo - Highlanders / Taranaki *
Charles Piutau - Blues /Auckland (14)
Julian Savea - Hurricanes / Wellington (33)
Ben Smith - Highlanders / Otago (38)