Anticipation reached fever pitch as Scott 'Razor' Robertson unveiled his maiden All Blacks squad in Christchurch this week. A tight 32-man group for three Tests in July - two against England - sparked highly contestable selections which, as always, divided opinion.
Liam Napier breaks down the contentious calls.
Sititi over Sotutu
Debate continues to rage over the merits of excluding Blues No. 8 Hoskins Sotutu in favour of Chiefs opposite Wallace Sititi.
Sotutu produced a seemingly compelling body of work that included 12 tries and eight assists for the championship-winning Blues. That wasn't, however, enough to convince the All Blacks selectors he deserved a recall among the six-strong loose forward contingent after being cast aside 18 months ago.
Sititi instead surged past Sotutu late in the Super Rugby season with one standout performance in particular - his head turning effort in the Chiefs semifinal victory over the Hurricanes in Wellington - sealing his place in the squad to further hone his craft at the back of the scrum under Ardie Savea's guidance. Sotutu is contracted to the Blues until 2026 but his latest All Blacks snub instigated former Fiji coach Simon Raiwalui to suggest the talented 25-year-old should throw in his lot and represent the Pacific Island nation once his three-year international standdown is complete next year. While Sotutu impressed on attack for the Blues, his work away from the ball remains a point of contention for the All Blacks - as forwards coach Jason Ryan explained.
"We've been tracking both of them," Ryan said of Sotutu and Sititi. "It's really important we have both sides of the ball effort. That's something Razor really wanted from his loose forwards. That's different in the selecting model this year where we all get a little say in specialist areas which is quite unique."
''What tipped it was how dominant Wallace was in that semifinal. To turn up and put on an absolute clinic like that was pretty impressive. Scott Hansen has coached him in the [New Zealand] 20s. He's been simmering away in the background for a while.
"I did a little bit of homework with Liam Messam. I had a chat to him about Wallace. He's mentored him through. I asked him a couple of questions on character and those sorts of things. He ticked all the boxes. We believe we can get him to Test level really quickly."
Tosi who?
Of the five squad rookies - Sititi, centre Billy Proctor, halfback Cortez Ratima and hooker George Bell the others, Hurricanes prop Pasilio Tosi is the outright bolter. Four years ago Tosi converted from No. 8 to tighthead prop in Southland club rugby after being told he would not make it as a 140kg loose forward. Two seasons later with the Hurricanes, after largely coming off the bench behind All Blacks starter Tyrel Lomax, Tosi is included as one of six props.
The All Blacks clearly want their props to be large humans with ball playing ability. They must be mobile around the park, too, with a high work-rate threshold and, ideally, possess quick feet at the line.
Tosi ticks those boxes. From a Test scrummaging perspective, though, he must learn fast.
"He's the strongest prop in the country. He can squat over 300 kilograms. He's amazing,'' Ryan said. "He's young but he's in a position that's the most demanding on the rugby field in tighthead prop. We'll back ourselves to get him ready for Test level pretty quickly. We'll need to.
"You've got to be able to scrum first and he's there. The Test level is different but his ball carry around the park, his carry height, especially in the 22 attack and his work around the maul, he's right on. It's exciting with the three tightheads we've got.'' Meet the new skip:
No one blinked when Scott Barrett was officially unveiled to assume the All Blacks captaincy from Sam Cane.
As soon as Robertson was appointed to succeed Ian Foster last year, Barrett became the bolted-on favourite for the All Blacks captaincy.
Robertson and Barrett share a tight-knit relationship from their four years as coach and captain at the Crusaders, capturing titles in each of those campaigns. They trust each other and will be aligned.
Ardie Savea had strong public and private support from the likes of Dalton Papali'i, Aaron Smith, former All Blacks first-five Lima Sopoaga and others but the leadership decision was only ever going one way.
Barrett was afforded the right to choose his deputies, with Savea and younger brother Jordie handed those duties.
Explaining his captaincy choice, Robertson said: "His ability with game management and working with the refs. He's highly regarded and respected. He's the lineout caller and he brings in other leaders when required. He's got a really good feel for the game to make the right calls at the right time. He's won a lot of big games and big moments. He's always risen to the occasion with the All Blacks and I know he'll do it as a captain too."
No love for Ruben
Hurricanes fullback Ruben Love is one of the most dynamic attacking prospects since Christain Cullen. The All Blacks, though, selected three first-five utilities as their fullback options in Damian McKenzie, the expected starting No, 10, Beauden Barrett and Blues playmaker Stephen Perofeta.
Love has, for now at least, been included as injury cover while Caleb Clarke nurses bruised ribs. But excluding his game-breaking abilities could be painted as a missed opportunity. Love's broken-field threat certainly offers a point of difference.
Locking shortage
The All Blacks start the post Sam Whitelock-Brodie Retallick era with three specialist locks - two of which have injury clouds hovering over them. Patrick Tuipulotu is in doubt for the first Test against England - after his heroic effort to return five weeks early from a knee ligament injury and lead the Blues to break their 21-year title drought. Blues teammate Sam Darry has, therefore, been included as cover.
Scott Barrett declared he is ready to go for England after missing much of the Super season with a nagging back injury. Chiefs loose forward Samipeni Finau offers locking cover but with Tupou Vaa'i the only other specialist second-rower, New Zealand's threadbare locking stocks are laid bare.
This is the one area Robertson can ill afford injuries to strike.