Michael Brown: Sniping seems like deja vu all over again

Sam Whitelock. Photo / Getty Images

As a nation, we seem to love nothing more than finding something to complain about when it comes to sport.

At times, it's legitimate. We fail on the biggest stage when success seems within reach. But the level of vitriol, when it doesn't happen, is difficult to comprehend.

This week, there has been the predictable backlash against the All Blacks coaches wrapping players in 'cotton wool'. The general thrust of the argument is the players need to be playing or they will lose their edge ... and we will lose the World Cup. It's always about the World Cup.

It's 2007 all over again, apparently. Look what happened then when players were taken out of circulation. They struggled for form because they hadn't been playing enough and weren't match fit or match hardened.

There is a very big difference between the All Blacks undergoing a conditioning window during the 2007 Super 14 season just six months before the World Cup and All Blacks being phased into - or not playing at all, in some cases - this year's ITM Cup.

Giving our top All Blacks a break from playing provincial rugby is eminently sensible. They need a break, it won't be hugely detrimental to their form, it's still 12 months out from the World Cup and the sun will come out tomorrow (assuming this wild weather passes).

How often do players like Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Mils Muliaina, Ma'a Nonu and Joe Rokocoko play NPC anyway?

Rokocoko, for instance, had played close to 30 tests before he made his Auckland debut. He's still played only 25 provincial matches but has 66 test caps among his 180 first-class games (test, Super, provincial).

What is someone like McCaw going to get out of playing for Canterbury? He's had a massive workload already in 2010 (he will have played about 13 tests and 13 Super 14 games by the end of the year) and he's shown he can play at a high level even after a break. Muliaina is the same.

There's no point flogging players to keep up appearances. They don't need to be playing rugby now, and they know how to manage their bodies to be ready to play test football.

The importance of keeping players fresh was highlighted last weekend when the Wallabies tired badly against an All Black side who had had a couple of weeks off.

The All Blacks might have been off-colour in Sydney but that had more to do with the number of changes made and the absence of a certain D. Carter.

The end-of-year tour is more about fine-tuning preparations for next year and giving squad players opportunities in case they are called on during the World Cup.

The big tests have already been played, and won.

All of the players were consulted about their workloads heading into the Grand Slam tour.

In the case of Brad Thorn, for example, he asked to play one provincial match before heading away on the end-of-year tour. Jimmy Cowan, Tom Donnelly, Keven Mealamu and Tony Woodcock are also all available that weekend.

Some were made available almost immediately. Liam Messam, Benson Stanley, Colin Slade, Anthony Boric and Rene Ranger were available for this weekend's round while John Afoa and Corey Flynn return next weekend.

Sam Whitelock is probably the most notable absentee for the remainder of the ITM Cup. He is a special case.

Put simply, Whitelock is buggered. The 21-year-old never imagined he would be playing test rugby this year and the intensity of that, both mental and physical, has caught up with him.

The big lock goes into contact with little regard for his own well-being and it takes its toll. He needs to bulk up to better cope with the collisions and he can't do that if he's playing each week.

Rodney So'oialo is the best example of how quickly someone's motor can go if they're not managed properly. The 30-year-old played almost non-stop between 2005 and 2008 - he played 43 tests in those four years including 14 in 2008 - but resembled a run-down Commodore by the end of it. Unlike the Holden, his motor can't be reconditioned.

For many, Graham Henry will never win. They hold him responsible for 2007 and are convinced it will all end in tears in 12 months' time. Maybe, but he deserves a little faith.

Henry has shown he has learned from his mistakes and it has resulted in some stunning results and rugby. The top side were selected every week during the Tri Nations until the final week when the competition had already been won.

The benefits of consistency of selection were borne out.

There also won't be a conditioning window next year. After the All Blacks return to New Zealand at the start of December, they will have a few weeks off until the end of January. From that moment until the end of the World Cup, whenever that might be for New Zealand, there will be barely a week off.

For that reason, people shouldn't worry. By the time the All Blacks kick off their World Cup campaign against Tonga on September 9, they will be ready.