Highlanders flyer Patrick Osborne and comeback kid Tawera Kerr-Barlow have been the big movers in Steve Hansen's enlarged All Blacks squad for back-to-back Bledisloe Cup tests, with Andy Ellis and Cory Jane the most notable absentees.
Osborne comes in to beef up a six-strong outside backs contingent essentially to garner experience as a World Cup insurance policy, with Jane still out of the mix while he deals with the ankle injury suffered while playing for the Barbarians against New Zealand Maori.
Jane's injury and the devastating fractured fibula bone suffered by Waisake Naholo on his test debut has opened the way for Osborne to join the squad, though Hansen conceded when the squad assembled in Auckland on Sunday that his prospects were more longer than shorter term.
"It's more for the future really, with Waisake out three months and Cory still struggling with his injury, we just wanted to make sure we had someone else that has been in the environment, so if we end up going to the World Cup and needing some outside players, and those two guys weren't available, we'd have someone whose been here and feels comfortable.
"So it's a bit of pre-planning really."
Kerr-Barlow's recall to the squad is notable after the Waikato halfback had completed a long rehabilitation following an horrific leg injury suffered in South Africa the best part of a year ago.
The 24-year-old, who has played 14 of his 15 tests off the bench, has had two games for New Zealand Maori and one pre-season hitout for Waikato, and now Hansen wants to see more of him over the next couple of weeks, with tests in Sydney next Saturday and the return fixture in Auckland on August 15.
"He's had enough game-time now to warrant being taken off the list of not having game time and being injured," Hansen said. "He's neither of those any more, and it's time to bring him back in and at some stage over the next couple of weeks we'll have to have a look at him."
The coach said Ellis had "done all he can do" and it was now a matter of assessing their options in the position ahead of the August 31 squad naming deadline.
Jane's situation remains a concern, with the veteran wing unlikely to be fit for either of the two Bledisloe fixtures after his injury on July 18 was assessed as a "six-weeker".
"He'll be in so we'll get a look at him and make some decisions," added Hansen.
In other injury-related news, scans have cleared veteran midfielder Ma'a Nonu of any major damage to his shoulder, prop Charlie Faumuina was included in a seven-strong prop contingent after he'd progressed well from recent neck surgery and promising Hurricanes outside back Nehe Milner-Skudder was over his rib injury and set to receive some much-needed game-time over the next two tests.
Loosehead prop Wyatt Crockett will also miss the trip to Sydney because of "family" reasons.
Hansen said it was "too early" to tell if Nonu would be available for the Sydney test, but made it clear no chances would be taken with so many able fill-ins on hand.
"We're not going to risk him if he's not right. There's a big season ahead, and we've got plenty of cover there so we'll see how it goes."
Faumuina was also unlikely to be ready for either Bledisloe, but would be assessed in camp and possibly thrown into the provincial competition to get some game time.
Hansen said the big prop's situation was a "different beast" to Jane's. "Charlie has had plenty of rugby this season. We we'll look at each case individually, and see what the competition is like and what the injury is like."
But he also made it clear he had been impressed by what he had seen from young Crusaders prop Nepo Laulala who had been the chief beneficiary of Faumuina's prolonged absence.
"The hardest part for those tight forwards when they come in is picking up the understanding of how we're playing. But he seems to have done that OK. He's a good athlete and he has certainly scrummed well enough."
Milner-Skudder had made a full recovery from the rib injury that forced him to be omitted from the trip to South Africa, and Hansen is now keen to see him on the track, most probably on the wing.
"You can't make a decision about him unless we see him in that position, so it's just whether we do that this week or the following week," he said. "We'll see how he goes at training, then make some decisions."
The All Blacks will train in Auckland until Wednesday evening when a 31-man squad will fly to Sydney for final preparations for the opening Bledisloe of the year, and Rugby Championship decider.
All Blacks squad for Bledisloe Cup Tests
Hookers: Dane Coles, Hikawera Elliot, Keven Mealamu, Codie Taylor.
Props: Wyatt Crockett, Charlie Faumuina, Ben Franks, Owen Franks, Nepo Laulala, Joe Moody, Tony Woodcock.
Locks: James Broadhurst, Brodie Retallick, Luke Romano, Jeremy Thrush, Sam Whitelock.
Loose forwards: Sam Cane, Jerome Kaino, Richie McCaw (capt), Liam Messam, Kieran Read, Matt Todd, Victor Vito.
Halfbacks: Tawera Kerr-Barlow, TJ Perenara, Aaron Smith.
Five-eighths: Beauden Barrett, Daniel Carter, Colin Slade, Lima Sopoaga.
Midfielders: Ryan Crotty, Malakai Fekitoa, Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Sonny Bill Williams.
Outside backs: Israel Dagg, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Patrick Osborne, Charles Piutau, Julian Savea, Ben Smith.
Fairfax NZ
