All Blacks: Injuries open way for test selection

Liam Messam appears to have the inside track to the No 8 jersey. Photo / Getty Images

Player turnover is a strength for many sporting sides. Keep the same team, the theory goes, and the evils of complacency will start to germinate.

Around that tinkering, sides like the All Blacks have delivered consistent success by keeping a spine of players. During the Henry era new skipper Mils Muliaina has been a mainstay at fullback, Joe Rokocoko, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Daniel Carter, Rodney So'oialo, Richie McCaw, Ali Williams, Keven Mealamu, Andrew Hore and Tony Woodcock have all played a serious chunk of test rugby in the last five years.

Injury has interrupted an international start this year for Sivivatu, Carter, So'oialo, McCaw and Williams so others who have been on tours will have to deputise. It will be a great chance for them and a fascinating scrutiny of their calibre in the three June tests against France and Italy.

Some players have graduated to the All Blacks, a few have slipped down to the Juniors while there are others like Stephen Brett, Kevin O'Neill, Taniela Moa, John Schwalger and Paul Williams who were on the fringes of the national squad last year but have slipped off the radar.

Schwalger will train as cover with the Juniors but his fall from favouritism follows a bit of a propping pattern.

Think of these names; Saimone Taumoepeau, Campbell Johnstone, Clarke Dermody, Ben Franks, Jamie Mackintosh and Schwalger. All have been chosen in All Black squads but none has stayed long. Taumoepeau, Johnstone and Dermody disappeared overseas while the others have dipped in popularity.

Now it is Wyatt Crockett's turn. He missed out at the end of last year when the All Blacks used six props on their visits to Hong Kong and the UK but has impressed the selectors with his work during the Super 14.

A tall man, Crockett was urged to work hard on his core strength to give him better stability and, according to those who examined his scrummaging closely, that advice has delivered dividends.

At the other end of the scrum, the versatile Liam Messam appears to have the inside trail to the No 8 jersey.

Messam, who played blindside flanker for most of the Chiefs' campaign, has leapfrogged teammate Sione Lauaki who has been asked to produce more consistency in the Junior All Black programme against the Pacific Islands.

Another option at No 8 could be Jerome Kaino but after several starts in that position last season he was used to better effect from blindside and seemed to fit the side's pattern better. If he gets to start in the tests in June, Kaino will need to make a rapid impact as his contribution during an injury-affected Super 14 was down on other seasons.

And with the injured McCaw sure to return for the Tri-Nations series and So'oialo given that same commitment by the selectors, the pressure is on Kaino to find the form which took him through an impressive last season.