New Zealand - The All Blacks

New Zealand coach Graham Henry has gambled on giving 22 of his World Cup hopefuls a specialised training regime rather than early-season match practice in the Super 14.

An entire team of stars sat out the first seven rounds of the southern hemisphere tournament, with the All Blacks management putting them through their paces in the gymnasium and on the track.

The plan was to give likely squad candidates the physical preparation to cope with the demands of tournament rugby.

These players are not guaranteed a place in the final squad - indeed, the emerging lock Jason Eaton had to bow out through injury before the end of the Super 14.

The tight-five engine room is all-but assured, and if not, then ample cover should be available despite fears over a perceived lack of locks. A world-class front row of Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu and Carl Hayman will likely be covered by the versatile Neemia Tialata in the first instance.

Much rests on the fitness of another utility prop, Crusaders veteran Greg Somerville.

Should the man known as 'Yoda' be unavailable, Tialata's front-row colleague at Wellington, John Schwalger, will expect the call.

Hooker is one of several positions the selectors - Henry, forwards coach Steve Hansen, backline specialist Wayne Smith and 1987 World Cup guru Sir Brian Lochore - have the satisfying conundrum of who to omit, rather than who to include.

Crusaders and New Zealand Maori rake Corey Flynn has been desperately unlucky to be overlooked in recent years.

That is largely due to Anton Oliver's continued presence, and the form of Andrew Hore, the Taranaki and Hurricanes man who rivals Mealamu in his ability to drive for the line.

Chris Jack and Ali Williams emerged during the 2005 Lions tour as the leading locks in the New Zealand game.

However, two forgotten men have emerged in the past 18 months to stake claims for an unlikely World Cup return.

Henry seemed to have marked former captain Reuben Thorne as persona non grata before a stunning 2006 Super 14 campaign earned him a deserved recall.

Thorne, who will act as a tour party leader without the expectation of significant game time, will supplement an imposing team of back-row forwards.

Captain Richie McCaw leads from the openside, while Rodney So'oialo and Jerry Collins take the No.8 and blindside respectively.

Chris Masoe, the Hurricanes No.7 and ostensibly McCaw's deputy, was one of the 22 chosen for reconditioning duty.

But that absence allowed the impressive Chiefs trio of young star Liam Messam and familiar faces Sione Lauaki and Marty Holah to reaffirm their candidacy with impressive early-season performances, though only Lauaki has made the initial 29-man squad named by coach Graham Henry.

Like his Crusaders team-mate Flynn, No.8 Moses Tuiali'i is an unfortunate exclusion, having backed up the Crusaders scrum with such clinical authority over a number of years.

New Zealand has a long tradition of quality in the halfbacks, and this again is evident.

The physical Byron Kelleher is the incumbent, but two players who emerged in the past 12 months have taken places as cover.

Canterbury's Andrew Ellis and Waikato tyro Brendon Leonard ousted the talented Piri Weepu and long-term tertiary option Jimmy Cowan.

Daniel Carter is the undisputed No.10, while at inside centre Aaron Mauger's relationship with Carter edges him ahead of the competition.

The talented Nick Evans and the flamboyant Luke McAlister are the expected replacement five-eighths.

The retirement of captain Tana Umaga left the All Blacks with only months to fill a place thought to be iron-clad.

Umaga's prodigy Ma'a Nonu had looked in the driving seat to succeed his mentor, but their Wellington and Hurricanes team-mate Conrad Smith was the successful candidate.

Mistimed injuries and the Hurricanes' slump from 2006 Super 14 contenders to 2007 also-rans have counted against Nonu though and the answer appears to come in a youngster who spent 2006 learning from the Hurricanes/Lions trio.

Isaia Toeava was plucked from the relative obscurity of representative rugby straight into the 2005 Grand Slam tour party.

Toeava, who had featured just once for Auckland, found himself heading to Britain as Umaga's understudy.

A year in Wellington learning off the great man from the fullback spot after a 2006 Hurricanes draft pick paid dividends.

He now appears to have overcome initial nerves to be a front-runner to be the 13th man in France. And there is a depth of talent in the outside back places.

While Crusader Leon MacDonald is the likely starter at fullback, Mils Muliaina's versatility allows him to slip in seamlessly.

Muliaina's own vast experience and expertise in the role is a compelling argument for his inclusion at 15, although he could trump Toeava for the midfield berth.

Winger Sitiveni Sivivatu has recently played Super 14 at fullback, offering another option.

This may have enhanced the claims of the Fijian, who responded well on the field to a turbulent personal season in the 2007 Super 14, to a guaranteed place in the squad.

Spells sidelined by injury have peppered Sivivatu's early career, and a recurrence would be the only reason to leave him at home.

Fellow islander Joe Rokocoko is another man included by Henry, although nagging inconsistency at lower levels has led to a lack of game time.

His Blues team-mate Doug Howlett has taken the opportunity to impress in his absence, while the consistent Rico Gear has been unfortunate to miss out, although his move to Worcester spelled the end of his Kiwi career anyhow.

The rugby-mad nation has fiercely debated the pros and cons of Henry's reconditioning program since its inception in late 2006. It will be left to the talented pool of players at his disposal to determine whether the idea was sheer genius, or sheer folly.