David Leggat: A ghostly light flickers from the men at Twickers

In idle moments you might be prone to ponder on the makeup of the All Blacks squad for next month's European tour.

Graham Henry has indicated 24 of the 32 selections have been pencilled in.

Let's say for argument's sake, that's the 22 players who will spend the early part of next year out of the Super 14 reconditioning for the World Cup plus wings Doug Howlett and Rico Gear. (Actually, throw in Luke McAlister and Neemia Tialata and it's probably 26, but let's not split hairs.)

Has the Air New Zealand Cup offered up names who might figure in the puzzle for those final spots?

Maybe Liam Messam or Richard Kahui from Waikato. Perhaps Kieran Read, the fast-rising Canterbury loose forward. Have Nick Evans or Andrew Blowers done enough for recalls?

Whoever they choose, the All Blacks, in broad terms and notwithstanding the fact they lost their most recent test, at Rustenberg last month, are travelling pretty well.

Sure, there can be quibbles about some aspects of their game, the lineouts, the occasional bloopers when tries go begging.

Things are sure to get more complicated next year, but so far, so reasonably good.

Put it this way, what England would give right now to be beset by the sort of problems confronting Henry and co.

The All Blacks' next opponents, at Twickenham on November 6, are in a mess.

First, they have been lumbered by a Dan Carter punt-long list of injuries. Already senior heads Lawrence Dallaglio and Phil Vickery have been ruled out of the late-year test programme and a pile of others are also incapacitated.

The likes of hooker Steve Thompson, lock Steve Borthwick and wing James Simpson-Daniell - good footballers but scarcely gamebreakers - are gone. As for Jonny Wilkinson, don't even go there. Okay, injured again.

The point being players you've never heard of are being mooted to face the All Blacks. Try James Forrester. Or Tom Palmer, Andy Hazell, Toby Flood, Shaun Perry or Olly Morgan. Any the wiser?

Then there's the Andy Farrell issue - the former Great Britain league captain and English hero with more than 300 games and two knee operations behind him from his years at Wigan.

The English union parted with over £1 million ($2.84 million) to get Farrell's signature. From there they'd make him a key component of the World Cup defence in September.

Blindside flanker or second five-eighths? Take your pick. Simple really.

This weekend, Farrell will play just his third game of 15-a-side for Saracens, having spent the last year sidelined by a toe injury, then whiplash in a car accident.

It's starting to look like seriously bad financial business by the English union. And now there's whispers that if Farrell doesn't make England's Six Nations championship squad he'll be back in league before the World Cup starts.

Think of league-to-rugby success stories. There's Lote Tuqiri and Mat Rogers in Australia, and Wendell Sailor had his moments. Brad Thorn played in the last World Cup for the All Blacks and made a reasonable fist of the transition before heading back to the Broncos and an NRL championship medal last weekend.

Jason Robinson, England and Lions quick-footed flier, did make it before prematurely packing it in, only to be looking to return this season. And ... that's about it.

Finally, there's the coach himself. Robinson was successful as Sir Clive Woodward's No 2 and is starting to look like a classic example of a person who should have stayed Tonto rather than try and be the Lone Ranger. He's feeling the heat after a disastrous past year. His new boss, former England first five-eighths Rob Andrew, has signalled Robinson is not immune if things continue to slide.

To complicate it all, under the agreement between the union and Premier Rugby - the clubs collective, if you will - players can only be released for any three of England's four November tests - the All Blacks, Argentina, and two against South Africa.

Robinson would not be human if he didn't feel the net closing. Oh, and to cap this sorry mess off the new grandstand at Twickenham, which was to be celebrated with the All Blacks on show, is touch and go to be ready. So what's it to be, Henry's or Robinson's shoes?