KEY POINTS:
Getting back to an old-fashioned tour culture - where test places are up for grabs - is a priority for the All Black coaching panel.
Prior to leaving New Zealand, the coaching panel mapped out six different starting teams they thought had a chance of coming home undefeated,
while at the same time developing some younger players.
Those teams were also pencilled in with workloads in mind. The danger for selectors is over-playing a senior player like Ali Williams early on, forcing an inexperienced locking combination to start against England.
But while the selectors have a good idea of the teams they would like to select for each game, they are wary of preventing those who perform from being rewarded with promotion.
"We did that quite a while ago, to get a thumbnail sketch if you like, and then we have got the Munster game on the Tuesday as well," assistant coach Wayne Smith said of the mapping process.
"You want players to be playing for spots. You even want the team that plays against Munster to be playing for a spot against Wales.
"That is the way it used to be and we are very conscious of that and if these guys put in a great performance then they will get further opportunity.
"That is what the jersey demands. You have got to perform in it and reach a certain level."
To help foster the perception that test places are on the line, the squad has been told some players may not get a start on tour.
While there is a desire to test the ability of some younger players who performed strongly in the provincial championship, there is no guarantee they will all be given time on the field.
Scott Waldrom, Jason Eaton and Ben Franks have so far been left out of the test squads.
With seven loose forwards, five locks and five props on tour, those positions are the most competitive.
Eaton, Franks and Waldrom may get a start against Munster and their further involvement will depend on their performances in Limerick.
The team for Ireland will be announced on Tuesday, but preparation for what will be a tricky assignment began on Friday in Edinburgh.
The 13 players who were not in the match-day 22 to play Scotland started working on tactics and ideas for the Irish game, although there is no guarantee all 13 will be involved.
That process of preparation includes some heavy-duty video analysis of the Irish, going back as far as seven or eight games, to look for patterns and styles in their play.
Every detail is critically important in the modern game, Smith said.
And every team the All Blacks face will be doing the same - looking for any weakness in the defensive structure or clues to where and when attacks will be made.
