All Blacks: Muliaina leads new-look side

Little-known Hawkes Bay lock Bryn Evans has been called to cover for Ali Williams. Photo / Getty Images

Captain Mils Muliaina and three new caps are notable marks in the opening All Black squad for 2009, but the greatest shock is the impending selection of Bryn Evans at lock.

The little-known Evans will join the training squad later this week as cover for the injured Ali Williams and is expected to be in the reserves for the opening test against France at Carisbrook on June 13.

It is a remarkable rise for the 24-year-old Hawkes Bay lock who earned three caps for the Blues last year in his debut Super rugby season and has made a further three starts this season for the Hurricanes.

He has been used as a regular substitute, but Evans' path to consistent starts has been blocked by Jason Eaton and Jeremy Thrush. That was reversed yesterday when national coach Graham Henry announced his opening squad and said that Evans and Crusaders prop Owen Franks would join the All Blacks this week as cover for injured players.

New caps were Chiefs flanker Tanerau Latimer and the Crusaders duo of Isaac Ross and Wyatt Crockett while experienced No 8 Rodney So'oialo has been spelled because of an apparent neck injury, but will return, according to Henry, for the Tri-Nations. Others who were unavailable because of injury were regular skipper Richie McCaw, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Anthony Boric, Andy Ellis, Corey Flynn, Scott Waldrom and Daniel Carter.

Evans' range of core skills had commended him to the selectors, Henry explained. "He is good in the air, good on the opposition lineout, good at kickoff and makes good decisions round the field," he said.

"I think one of the challenges in New Zealand rugby is that our lock forwards are quite often an extension of our looseforwards and so they quite often don't do the core job of a lock as well as they could. We think this guy can do the core role. A lot of our locks have got the icing without the core."

New All Black Ross, who is a day older than Evans, has some serious sporting genes as the son of former All Black Jock and former Black Fern Christine. He was also a draft player last season with the Highlanders, but has stood out this season for the Crusaders.

He was an example, Henry said, of a lock who could do the core demands of his position. He was also the tallest lock in the country, was quick and had a great range of ball skills to go with his basic duties. "He just needs to get a hard edge to his game, defensively and cleaning out, and a wee bit more involvement in that area. But he has certainly got the talent to be a quality international lock forward."

That evolution would take a few years but Ross had all the basics of size and skill to make a success of his selection. Latimer was a looseforward who had been consistent throughout the Super 14 and without the injured McCaw and Waldrom, deserved his elevation. He would compete with Adam Thomson for the openside vacancy.

They would operate under the revised laws at the breakdown where, previously, it had seemed foolish that someone with their hands on the ball had to be told to let it go by the referee when a ruck formed.

"That will quicken up the game, I think it will add to the skill in the game and will change how the game is coached. I think everybody will be a flanker," Henry predicted.

He also thought France would look at an All Black side without McCaw, Williams, So'oialo, Sivivatu and Carter and fancy their chances of a victory at Carisbrook. "I think the last time we played them we got beaten didn't we?" Henry said with a smile that did not line his face much after that 2007 World Cup loss.

"It is stimulating for the coaches because we know if we can get through it, we are going to be a better side going forward. Guys are going to lead who don't normally lead; Stephen Donald is going to have to navigate at test match level which he hasn't had a lot of experience in, and we are going to be under a lot of pressure."