Wynne Gray: Ross needs rugby, not gym work

The All Blacks coaches want lock Isaac Ross to increase his power and strength. Photo / Sarah Ivey

It's started again. Call it what you like, but the All Blacks' rest and reconditioning programme is on the boil again.

When developing test lock Isaac Ross turns 25 late next month, the selectors want him pumping iron somewhere in New Zealand, rather than preparing for the All Blacks' fourth test against the Wallabies in Tokyo.

They are working hard on persuading Ross that it will be in his long-term interests to increase the power and strength in his 115kg frame, instead of undertaking the five tests and Barbarians match schedule with the All Blacks.

There are a few weeks to run before the team is revealed but the word is that Brad Thorn, Tom Donnelly, Anthony Boric and Jason Eaton will be the four locks taken on tour while Ross is put on a rehab programme.

It seems an odd decision on a number of fronts.

The All Blacks carry a strength and conditioning coach, Nic Gill, in the midst of their troupe and if Ross needed to be on a special programme, Gill would seem to be the best person to administer that help.

If Ross needs bulking up, why did he start eight of the nine tests this season in a 15-week period with the All Blacks? Williams and Boric were injured, Bryn Evans, too, but there were others about if Ross could not handle the workload.

Ross has been exposed to rugby in the Southern Hemisphere and this trip would have been a great chance for him to discover different styles of rugby and mix it with different types of tight forwards in Europe.

If need be, he could have been set for the test against Italy in the middle of the programme, the Baabaas game at the end and sent to work in the gym the rest of the time. Instead, if the plans prevail, Ross will be left at home where he will be asked to bulk up for the next Super 14.

According to those who know him, that plan may lead to problems as Ross responds best to regular guidance and discipline. They acknowledge his deficiencies, that he needs structural and technical work, but argue he would accomplish that best on tour.

No matter how much Ross wants to improve, his disappointment at being left behind will impinge on his rehab programme. It may deliver a healthy bank account - because you can't believe someone would agree to remain at home and also cede their touring salary - but it may deliver a few psychological barbs.

And will he play for Canterbury in the rest of the national championship, or is that too onerous, or does it impinge too much on the All Blacks' invasive strategy?

If Ross lacks power and is being left behind to sort that out, then you could apply similar logic to hooker Aled de Malmanche.

Not the argument about power, as de Malmanche has all the power and grunt to nail a spot in the middle of the front row. His energy around the track is contagious but his lineout delivery is dodgy and that is a core duty for hookers.

The selectors trusted him for only a few minutes' replacement work in the three tests he backed up Andrew Hore, once Keven Mealamu was invalided out of the Tri-Nations series. Hooker is an ultra-demanding role and had de Malmanche's throwing been reliable, he would have got more time. Perhaps he'll be allowed to work on that on tour.