Rugby: Top All Blacks unlikely for Pumas opener

Luke Romano's face after his accidental head clash with Owen Franks shows why James Broadhurst might be a candidate for a spot on the bench. Photo / Dean Purcell

Newer Highlanders and Hurricanes to get first taste of test football.

The All Blacks will today farewell the six extra players they called up, welcome a further 17 from the Super Rugby final, adjust from 33C to -3C and then spend the rest of their week in Christchurch trying to find the significant improvements they need to beat Argentina.

In a sense, this week coming is the real start of the All Blacks season, which is why those players drafted in as cover for the Samoa test - Charlie Ngatai, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, George Moala, Tom Taylor, Brad Weber, Seta Taminavalu - won't be required in Christchurch.

Nepo Laulala and Andy Ellis will stay with the squad, however, as Charlie Faumuina is still a few weeks away from being declared fit while Chief halfback Tawera Kerr-Barlow will be with the Maori in Fiji as he continues his rehabilitation from a nine-month injury break.

Both Laulala and Ellis will compete for starting places in a team that is expected to lean heavily on those who started in Apia, with perhaps a few of the newer Highlanders and Hurricanes players being given their first taste of test football.

"We have had a plan for along the way but obviously we have had to modify that in some small ways," said head coach Steve Hansen about how he and the management team had been approaching selection for the first three tests of the year.

"We have got a plan now for next week and the South African leg and then once we have got those legs out of the way we will look at the two Australian games and try to get everybody involved.

"We would like to give all of them some game time but because we had so many in the final that might be difficult. But I think most guys will get an opportunity."

The assumption is that those senior players from the Hurricanes and Highlanders - men such as Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Ben Smith, Julian Savea and Aaron Smith - who are World Cup certainties and had heavy workloads in Super Rugby, may be not be picked to play against Argentina.

Given all of them are also likely to be starting most games at the World Cup, the selectors feel most of them could benefit from some extra rest.

They are more likely to be involved in South Africa where the All Blacks will need to be close to full strength to be competitive.

The Pumas, while a good side, stack as a better opponent to introduce some new caps around the experienced core that started at Apia Park in Samoa.

One of Waisake Naholo or Nehe Milner-Skudder could come on to the right wing in place of the departing Moala while James Broadhurst would be a candidate to win a spot on the bench given the heavy collateral damage to Luke Romano's face after an accidental head clash with Owen Franks.

Lima Sopoaga's form merits a taste of the action in some capacity and he'd be another who could come into the match-day 23 - charged with lifting the basic skills and cohesion after a fairly average showing from the All Blacks in Samoa.

"It wasn't as good a performance as we were hoping for," said Hansen. "There were a lot of fatigue mistakes in the game and there was a lot of structural stuff that we didn't get right. And then, of course, the opposition were good.

"The reality is that is where we are at. We have got a baseline and now we can keep working and keep going up and we know we have to go a long way up if we are going to be competitive."