KEY POINTS:
All Blacks coach Graham Henry is relieved that the Super 14 spluttered into life after enduring six weeks of what he described as shapeless rugby.
The selection process has crystalised in recent weeks for Henry and his assistant coaches Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen, with the standard of
play having improved considerably in the eyes of the reappointed national coach.
A smile adorned his face after last Friday's final-round match between the Blues and Hurricanes in Auckland, which he described as "like a test match".
Henry was also taken by the Crusaders-Blues match three weeks earlier, which was a world apart from the early-season offerings as most teams came to grips with the Experimental Law Variations.
"The game has a lot more shape now than it initially had," Henry told NZPA.
"We were worried about the amount of turnover ball we saw, teams were going backwards and forwards without any sort of structure. We didn't see any territorial pressure and continuity."
The area of the game where the leading teams had improved most was at the tackle, where they had learned to retain possession.
"Teams are making sure they look after the ball there and are building pressure through continuity," Henry said.
"The referees are also refereeing that part of the game a lot better than they were six weeks or two months ago."
Henry was sure high standards would continue in Saturday's semifinal between the Crusaders and Hurricanes in Christchurch.
The match is crucial for some players seeking to force their way into Henry's 26-man squad for the June tests against Ireland and England (two) and the Tri-Nations.
"It's huge. It's the two strongest New Zealand sides as far as where they got to on the table so it it's like a test trial I guess, which is good for us," he said.
"There's no doubt this game will be helpful, hopefully to reinforce what we're thinking."
Henry said he had watched his usual truckload of rugby in an exhaustive selection process and that the "vast majority" of his squad had been decided on.
"But nothing's in concrete."
Henry's squad will be named on June 1, a day after the Super 14 final and six days out from the Ireland test at Wellington.
This Sunday Henry will announce a group of players to attend a 2-3 day training camp in Auckland next week designed to get the bulk of his squad ready for the test season.
The camp will be without players from either the Crusaders or Hurricanes, depending on who makes the final, while not every player at the camp will be squeezed into his test squad.
- NZPA