Richard Loe: Good but we can do better

Israel Dagg will push for the fullback's jersey. Photo / Getty Images

This may sound a little like nit-picking after what has been a reasonably successful All Black tour but - with the benefit of hindsight - I think they could have done things a little differently for even better results.

I think we saw the point made in glorious technicolour about the folly of resting players and then bringing them back undercooked.

That loss to Australia in Hong Kong cost the the All Blacks the unbeaten world record they were aiming for but it may have done them a big favour for next year's World Cup.

The rest of the tour has seen the All Black coaches choose their best XV and their form has risen as a result.

We have even heard Richie McCaw talking openly about his time off and how he is coming right only now. I think he'd admit he was one of those undercooked in Hong Kong.

While they have won consistently since then, their form hasn't always been their best - a nit-pick, sure, but this is the All Blacks and the World Cup we are talking about.

What they have to do now is have an intense, focused Super 15 series before the four Tri Nations test matches.

How All Black management handle that series and those test matches will be dead interesting.

They have to name their World Cup squad before the end of the Tri Nations and, if any players get broken in the meantime, they can only bring in a replacement player if that replacement stays in the squad for the entire World Cup.

So they are going to have to judge whether a player will heal and whether he is worth keeping even though injured.

Knife-edge stuff - and this panel took injured players away on tour and those with very little rugby (Andrew Hore, Tom Donnelly and Isaia Toeava) so it will be interesting to see how they jump next year.

Having said that, I think they have found out what their best team is: Owen Franks, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock, Brad Thorn, Sam Whitelock, Jerome Kaino, Richie McCaw, Kieran Read, Jimmy Cowan, Dan Carter, Sonny Bill Williams, Conrad Smith, Hosea Gear, Cory Jane and Mils Muliaina.

Which is not to say it will stay like that. Hore has yet to hit his straps at hooker. Anthony Boric played more good rugby against Ireland than he had for the rest of his All Black career so far - and must be a chance if he continues to play like that.

They need to sort out the second halfback in case Piri Weepu doesn't make it back.

For my money, Alby Mathewson is just ahead of Andy Ellis now, although I am yet to be convinced either of them operate as well at this level as Cowan and Weepu.

In the midfield, I'd go for Williams over Nonu. Smith's place is secure and I think it's a straight choice between those two.

It's harsh, as Nonu has been playing his best rugby over the past 12-18 months but I think Williams offers more and can break a game open for the All Blacks. Nonu will still be involved, I believe, as he can cover multiple backline positions and is a huge impact player.

At fullback, I am not one of those who think Muliaina has always played well. I am detecting a little loss of speed and maybe vision and I think Israel Dagg will put real pressure on him next year. I think McCaw will do 100-plus tests; not so sure about Mils.

On the wings, Jane has still to hit his best form, although he is on the upwards curve, and there are others like Sitiveni Sivivatu and Richard Kahui to consider. Much will depend on their ability to play a lot in the Super 15 and get through uninjured.

If Sivivatu doesn't, maybe Rene Ranger and even Zac Guildford could come back into calculations and perhaps even Toeava, who has played quite well on this tour.

I suspect Joe Rokocoko may have played his last All Black tests on this tour, unless injury intervenes.

The biggest gaps are the back-ups at 10 - a huge hole there - and 7. Liam Messam and Daniel Braid have to be considered there, as does the injured Adam Thomson. Again, with the benefit of hindsight, it would have been great to have taken away a bigger squad and to have played midweek games - the All Blacks coaches would have learned a lot more about different players under pressure then, I reckon.

But, all in all, you have to say this has been a valuable tour, with one or two questions remaining and the Super 15 looming as the place where they will most likely be answered.