Foster flirts with experimenting
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All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster concedes there will be a temptation to experiment with some combinations during the first test before England's full squad arrives in New Zealand.
England's squad are arriving in the country in two waves with a large chunk of first stringers not available for the first test at Eden Park after playing in the Premiership final next weekend.
Foster said just who fronts for the first of the touring side's four matches in New Zealand could have some influence on the selectors' plans.
"That's going to be part of the plan figuring that out," he said
"Week in, week out we are looking at who is coming over and who we're likely to be playing.
"We only have three weeks, so we have a short time and we need to build on where we were last year.
"I don't think we'll be going with anything too radical selection wise [in the first test], but we will look at the three-match series and say how can we progress as a team and which combinations are worth tweaking."
This week's training camp, which follows on from last week's get-together in Christchurch, gives the All Blacks selectors a chance to look at new players and perhaps refine their thinking around some selection dilemmas.
Plenty of players have performed admirably at Super Rugby level in recent weeks, which made for tough competition within the All Black set-up.
"All the boys are playing well and you can see that in the teams that they play for," said Hurricanes wing Julian Savea.
"So it's good for the All Blacks."
A weakend English side may give the likes of in-form centre Malakai Fekitoa a taste of test rugby.
"That'll be an interesting debate that first week," Foster added.
"There's definitely going to be a number of guys from their usual 23 that won't be playing that first test because of their calendar.
"The big thing is will that weaken them? I think it makes them very dangerous.
"I know if we had ten first string players who couldn't play that first game, the players we did put in there would be playing for their lives.
"Make no mistake that first week is going to be a massive week because there will be guys in the English jersey desperate to play well for their own futures."
Foster believes England have the depth to field a quality side even without the players involved in the final between Saracens and Northampton.
"If you've been watching the Northern Hemisphere rugby you will be aware the quality is very good.
"They have a squad with similar depth to us and that first test is going to be a humdinger I think in terms of intensity."
APNZ and The Dominion Post
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