Richard Loe: Squad strange but selectors deserve trust

Keven Mealamu. Photo / Getty Images

It's a strange thing, this All Black team. There are form players here, injured players left behind there, and more injured players selected all over the place.

I just don't get it.

You can't sling too many arrows at this selection panel as they have coached a fine team with a pretty darned extraordinary record - but I'm blowed if I can follow their logic. Maybe that's a good thing.

Maybe their World Cup rivals won't understand what they're doing either. That must be it. It's a clever plot to confuse the hell out of everyone.

Why take injured players like Andrew Hore or Keven Mealamu or Sitiveni Sivivatu who have had no or next to no rugby? Everyone knows all three of them will be in the World Cup squad, fitness and form permitting.

So why not let them rest and recover? There will be accusing glances and statements if any one of those three gets injured on tour now. Why not build depth and talent by taking others away and giving them international experience?

The only reason I can think of is Graham Henry and the All Black panel are keen to break the world record of 23 tests unbeaten and are placing their trust in battle-hardened veterans to do that, rather than treat the tour as more of a team-building exercise.

Personally, if that's it, I'd rather come to the World Cup 2011 with my team balanced, cohesive and hungry; not riding the crest of a wave of 24 unbeaten tests. That's not the goal. It might be a fine achievement, but many New Zealanders would be chewing their fingernails, worried that the mighty could fall once again at World Cup time.

Maybe a loss mightn't be an altogether bad thing - and the team they select for the Hong Kong test against the Wallabies could be hard pressed to keep that unbeaten streak alive.

That record is also the only reason I can think of for the selection of Stephen Donald. The panel have gone for experience and maybe they felt comfortable with Donald. I heard Henry say he has seen Donald playing in the ITM Cup at a level he hadn't seen him achieve before.

Sorry, but the ITM Cup still isn't All Black level. I guess we'll see, although it has to be said the new law interpretations suit Donald's game.

The selection of three halfbacks, when everyone thought they'd take two, is easier to understand. Piri Weepu was the starting halfback but he is out for six months with only a few Super 15 games to impress. He's a player who puts on weight when not active and who is not always quick to hit form after injury. They'll need to sort out a possible replacement.

That's why, then, there was no room for Colin Slade (who was awful against Waikato) or Aaron Cruden. I can't explain, however, three hookers.

Not when John Afoa is in the team and able to back up there. Again ... Hore and Mealamu make no sense to me. Especially when we still need back-ups to Dan Carter and Richie McCaw.

I think Daniel Braid and Liam Messam are good players but I'm not sure they are the right ones. I heard a talk from former All Black skipper Taine Randell the other day. He said the All Blacks failed when the loose forward mix was wrong and I'm wondering about this one.

Victor Vito probably fell foul of the poor defensive nous he showed against Australia and he hasn't really lit up the ITM Cup. But maybe we needed a Matt Todd in there and some more lateral thinking rather than playing safe.

I heard one commentator say the selectors wanted Donald because of his test and Super 14 experience. Then someone challenged him by pointing out Sonny Bill Williams had no Super 14 experience. Ah, said the commentator, but that is the art of selection - to know when a player is capable of the next level.

You can't have it both ways. There's too many examples in this All Black team of that kind of muddled logic. But, you have to say, we can only put our trust in this panel right now. They've done everything right so far.