Inga Tuigamala: Selection for Italy is right on the button

Opinion

The All Blacks have got it dead right with their radical selection for Sunday's test against Italy.

And I've got no doubts at all that this new-look side will be too strong for the Italians - I expect the All Blacks to run away with the game at the end as their intensity takes a toll on the hosts.

With no disrespect to Italy, they aren't a rugby force in the mould of France or England, and now is the time to give the budding test All Blacks their chance.

These guys have all played Super 14 rugby and while that isn't quite at test level, it will still have them well prepared.

Graham Henry and his fellow selectors will find out who is ready for the big tests, and those who are given the chance to step up later will be all the better for the experience of having the Italian game under their belt.

It is a bit of a sink-or-swim situation but, as a whole, I expect the team to swim. The only problem they may have is with continuity and fluency, but I expect this team to have a go with their running game and to do it pretty well.

The top players have set the standards against Australia and Wales, giving the young fellows a target to aim for.

This is the sort of situation I remember being in on my first All Black tour in 1991, and I recall licking my lips at the prospect of being able to prove my worth and knowing exactly the standards required.

This team has a lot of good ball handling potential and All Black rugby has always been about running rugby.

That's why it was so good to see a running game used against Wales.

The player who fascinates me here is the Otago back Ben Smith, who will start on the wing in his first test.

He is a bit of a come-from-nowhere story and as I said earlier in the year, it is the sort of selection I was expecting and looking out for.

These are the things that bring a lot of new excitement into the game.

At the other end of the scale, I'm delighted to see Rodney So'oialo given the honour of leading the side.

I'm a So'oialo fan and his loose forward combination with Adam Thomson and Richie McCaw is a good one. It's good to see So'oialo showing that hunger again. We've seen glimpses against Wales and Australia that suggest the All Blacks are committing more people to the breakdown which is great - for a start it takes a bit of pressure off McCaw, and it also guarantees a good chance of getting the ball instead of living on a bit of hope.

I've got great memories of Italy, having played for Manu Samoa against them just before the 1999 World Cup. They had just given South Africa a run for their money but we smashed them all over the park.

It's amazing to see that the All Blacks are able to sell out a big soccer ground for this game, and it is going to be an experience these young players will never forget. I've got no doubt they will relish the occasion.

* Inga Tuigamala played 19 tests for the All Blacks