Ellis back in All Black frame
Forgotten All Black scrumhalf Andy Ellis is back in the New Zealand Test selection frame.
All Black coach Steve Hansen on Wednesday fronted a media scrum, as the team got their first camp of the year under way in Auckland.
Asked if Ellis was likely to play in the one-off Test against Samoa next month, Hansen dropped strong hints that the No.9 is "definitely likely" to return after almost four years in the international wilderness.
The 31-year-old was named on Sunday as cover for Hansen's extended 41-man squad – as all three of his selected scrumhalves – Aaron Smith, TJ Perenara and Tawera Kerr-Barlow – are unlikely to be available for the July 8 match in Apia.
"I would say [that is] definitely likely," Hansen told reporters.
"TKB [Kerr-Barlow] is going to play for the Maori, which is three days later, and Aaron Smith and TJ [Perenara] are both involved with their [Super Rugby play-off] games [for the Highlanders and Hurricanes]. I'd suggest he might play."
Kerr-Barlow is still making his way back from a serious knee injury that he sustained last year and has not played at all this season.
He will play three matches and for the Maori All Blacks against Fiji, so selectors can assess his return to fitness.
"We know he is a good player, we just need to see if he can bounce back," Hansen said on Sunday when Kerr-Barlow was named in the squad.
"If we take our time with him rather than throw him in at the deep end then I think we will see the player we want."
Ellis has not played for the All Blacks since he kicked the ball out of play to end the 2011 World Cup Final in Auckland, as New Zealand claimed the title for a second time.
Local media reported earlier this year that he was almost brought back for the All Blacks' 2014 end-of-season tour but could not be extricated from a temporary contract in Japan.
"Any All Black who gets a recall is normally extremely excited and that's how he feels," Hansen said.
"It's a dream for a lot of people to be an All Black and when you lose that opportunity you have time to reflect on it and understand how much it really meant, so when you get another opportunity I think you're probably better prepared to make the most of it, so Andy's excited."
