All Blacks: Ross left home to 'bulk up'

Isaac Ross has to add some weight to his frame. Photo / Getty Images

A major All Black selection surprise has already been sprung ahead of their European tour, with Isaac Ross to be left at home to bulk up.

The Canterbury lock, who many would rate the find of the season, will be in the gym this summer looking to add at least 5kg to his 113kg frame. Inevitably, his omission from what will be either a 32-man or 34-man tour party, will spark talk of the 24-year-old having been dropped.

But such a portrayal would be a harsh interpretation. Far from being disappointed with Ross's rookie season, the All Black coaches are thought to have firmed on their view of Ross as a potential world class lock.

Only time will tell if their stay-at-home strategy is the right one, but they feel an extended conditioning period now will give Ross the bulk to have greater impact at the collision.

Ross - in the absence of the injured Ali Williams - ended up starting all nine tests, which took a physical toll. If Williams had been fit, Ross would barely have been sighted and ironically, would almost certainly have toured so the selectors could get a better handle on what he was all about.

Brad Thorn, Jason Eaton, Tom Donnelly and Anthony Boric are the four locks most likely to travel, with coach Graham Henry confirming he already has his extended list of All Black tourists. There are a number of certainties in it, he says, and a few positions where there are a number of options.

He and his fellow coaches Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen will spend the next few weeks at various provincial games to determine whose names stay in and whose are scratched.

"We sat down and drew up a wider list of players," says Henry. "There are some positions where we are not sure; where we have two or maybe even three options. In those cases we want to try to watch the relevant players at least twice before we announce the squad on October 18."

Such an admission should add an edge to some provincial conflicts. Those on the extended list scrapping for a place will most likely include Colin Slade, Tamati Ellison, Liam Messam, Stephen Brett, Anthony Boric, Rudi Wulf, Jamie Mackintosh and Aaron Cruden.

The final cut will depend on two factors; the size of the tour party and the outcome of a meeting with a handful of senior players this week.

"We will meet with a group of senior players this Sunday and start working through various things such as the culture and objectives we want to meet on the tour."

When Henry talks of objectives, he means in addition to five test victories and the scalp of the Barbarians. What he wants to establish with the senior players is the extras.

This tour, although everyone will try to play it down, is the beginning of World Cup preparations. It is where the selectors will learn key facts about some individuals. It is where some players will advance significantly and where others will go backwards.

It is also a tour where Henry will want to see more progress made in the number of available on-field leaders.

As everyone knows, the development of leadership has been a key theme for Henry since 2004. He's been trying to develop strong characters who can own the game-plan and take responsibility for it in the heat of battle.

Last year Ali Williams, Rodney So'oialo, Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and Mils Muliaina were the core group of on-field leaders. They had input into the game plan and drove some of the work at training.

But that group was broken this year as Williams has missed the entire season through injury and So'oialo has only been a peripheral figure. Andrew Hore, Tony Woodcock, Brad Thorn, Jimmy Cowan and Sitiveni Sivivatu have all stepped up into leadership roles this year to support McCaw, Carter and Muliaina.

It was this group who decided they wanted to be more involved in preparing the side ahead of the last Tri Nations test against the Wallabies.

"That's something we have done a lot of in the past," said Henry of the senior players asking for greater responsibility in Wellington. "We had a meeting with four of the senior players to make sure we were on the same page and we were.

"It was just maybe there was a different interpretation of some of the same things."

As part of that discussion with the senior crew, every aspect of the preparation went under the microscope.

The All Blacks have forged the unwelcome habit of starting tests poorly. Before last week, they had, on average this season, been trailing by 10 points at the break in all but the second test against France, the test against Italy and against the Wallabies in Wellington.

As a consequence of that review, it's probable that the All Blacks will try some different approaches throughout their European tour.

"We looked at everything," says Henry. "We looked at the way we warm up - should it be inside or outside and for how long? Do guys want to warm up individually and then come together for the last few minutes or do they want to do it all together?

"These are very hard to measure as they are variables and what works for one guy might not want for another."

What Henry is more certain about is that the All Blacks are well-placed now to grow from their experience this year. A number of new players have been discovered - notably Isaac Ross and Owen Franks who would probably not have had much if any game time this year had it not been for injury.

He's also sure that some resilience will have been built following the four defeats.

"This group hasn't had a lot of adversity in the time this coaching panel has been involved. It's been character-building for the players and for the coaches, too. I think you can only grow stronger from that.

"We have had to grow the number of leaders in the team and that will be helpful."