Rugby: House-hunting on hold for Broadhurst

James Broadhurst will always remember the first time he was named in the All Blacks.

Few people probably ever forget, but Broadhurst has one of the more unique tales as he and Hurricanes teammates Beauden Barrett and Ben May were late to an open home in Wellington this afternoon as part of some real estate speculation.

"Beaudie flicked on the telly with the real estate agent and obviously his name was first and my name was second so I was pretty happy," Broadhurst said.

"The real estate agent said: 'Oh, you'll be able to buy the house now'. So it was pretty hard case."

Broadhurst's father called shortly after and the big lock was put on speaker phone with his family as they passed on their congratulatory messages.

"It's a pretty surreal feeling. It's probably 10 years of hard work finally paying off."

The 27-year-old didn't put an offer in on the property though.

"I'll have to go back," he said. "I couldn't really focus on the house itself."

Broadhurst's on-field focus is what has helped his selection to the 41-strong All Blacks squad that was named today after a few years of toiling away in Super Rugby. He was first picked for the Hurricanes in 2010.

He has been a standout in a dominant Hurricanes forward pack in 2015, which has laid the platform for their run to the Super Rugby semifinals.

"From my point of view, it was just about trying to play well each week and by the sounds of things, I've probably done that."

Broadhurst said Hurricanes technical coach Richard Watt had been a major influence in his development, while his partner, family and friends had spurred him on in the seasons where he had to keep plugging away.

Broadhurst was one of 12 Hurricanes named in the All Blacks squad and outside back Nehe Milner-Skudder was another potential debutant from the capital.

The Manawatu man has been a revelation this season with his fleet footwork and his rise has been nothing short of rapid considering he was playing rugby league for the Bulldogs Under-20s side in 2010 before returning to Palmerston North the following year to play rugby union.

He made his first appearance for Manawatu in 2011 and was picked in the Hurricanes' wider training group last year before taking up a full-time contract this season.

"I was quite shocked and taken back," Milner-Skudder said of his selection in the All Blacks. "It's pretty surreal.

"I can't really believe it at this stage."

The right wing spot appears up for grabs in the All Blacks and although fullback is Milner-Skudder's preferred position, he has the required skills to pull on the No 14 jersey.

"I think he speaks for himself - the excitement that he brings to a team in terms of his footwork, his offloading and we've certainly seen his versatility as well, going from wing to fullback," All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster said.

The Hurricanes are building towards a semifinal against the Brumbies in Wellington on Saturday night and if they win this week, the players who were selected in the All Blacks won't join Steve Hansen's squad until after the Super Rugby final.