Lee Stensness: NZRU contract control can only be beneficial

Although the Grand Slam was only wrapped up last week, discussion has already moved to next season and the proposed 'resting' of All Blacks during the Super 14.

Part of the problem is that, to the public, 'resting' implies sand, surf and frolicking, rather than the fitness, weights and rehab that it actually entails for the players.

To overcome this misconception and overreaction, perhaps the policy should be referred to as 'rationing'. Rationing is about player resource management, the sustainability of what is actually a limited resource - namely the careers of top class players. It is also about players peaking at the right time.

When Graham Henry hints that All Blacks should be rested during the Super 14, he is suggesting a game or two here and there.

The common argument against 'resting' All Blacks has been the comparison with the NRL and how their players play 26 weeks in a row and then finals. The counter to that is to look at the rate of attrition amongst those players, and how many top players miss large chunks of seasons through injury or premature retirement.

The prime example is Andrew Johns. Just when he is in his prime, he is seemingly constantly injured. Other examples include Sonny-Bill Williams and Benji Marshall. Would the league public rather see them on the international stage against Australia in the short, medium and long terms or have them wither and expire, grinding it out week after week?

It is the clubs who pay the players' primary wages. Players must play every week possible, as that is all that matters to their paymasters, to the detriment of the international game.

Similar situations of star players being over-burdened must be avoided in rugby to preserve the quality of the All Blacks. The fact the NZRU contracts the players rather than franchises, as in NRL, means they can control its resources/players to achieve its objectives, which is what it's trying to do with resting/rotating/rationing.

Central contracting is an advantage the All Blacks have, if it is used effectively, over rivals England and France, who have long seasons and thus often injured or jaded players. Our season is long also - it finished last weekend and Super 14 is only nine weeks away. But if All Blacks are rationed in a controlled way it is more likely they will peak at the most beneficial moments for New Zealand rugby.

Which is what the public really wants.