Henry walks tightrope with tour newcomers

All Blacks coach Graham Henry will have to balance playing nearly all his rugby squad against Wales and Ireland -- but also putting out strong enough teams to keep the Grand Slam alive.

With World Cup 2007 looming, Henry will tomorrow name his lineup to play Wales confident of balancing player development with achieving the All Blacks' first Grand Slam in 27 years.

It starts at Millennium Stadium on Sunday (NZ time) with what should be close to a full-strength side.

Reports from All Blacks' final training in New Zealand suggested the only eyebrow-raisers would be the resting of star flanker Richie McCaw and test debuts for Taranaki flanker Chris Masoe and Wellington prop Neemia Tialata.

Then it gets tricky a week later, with Ireland no pushovers at Lansdowne Rd and still fired up about the Tana Umaga-Keven Mealamu tackle on their captain Brian O'Driscoll in June.

That incident during the Lions series has left O'Driscoll still out with a dislocated shoulder.

If Henry is true to his word he could make eight or nine changes to his starting side for Dublin, before settling on his strongest side to play England a week later.

He wouldn't say who their toughest opponents would be, adding it was coincidence that the strongest side would play the third match against England, after all had a chance to impress.

"We have a policy on this tour of developing 35 rugby players for the future. To do that we have to give them as much game time as possible without being ridiculous, (but) we have to try and survive as well," Henry said.

He has another four prospective debutants in utility back Isaea Toeava, lock Jason Eaton, utility forward Angus Macdonald and prop John Afoa.

"We've got to actually walk the talk. We have to play these guys, so in the first two games we'll be playing as many players as possible."

- NZPA