Players who signal their interest in Sevens by June will be able to change their mind at any stage and nor is there any guarantee they will be selected for Rio. But even if only half of the targeted list makes the final Olympic cut, it will leave the All Blacks with massive gaps in their squad for half their 2016 programme.
Given the All Blacks are also going to be losing a host of senior players such as Daniel Carter, Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith and Colin Slade after the World Cup and most likely Richie McCaw and Keven Mealamu, too, the enormity of New Zealand Rugby's ambition is breathtaking.
They are hoping to bed in a new, expanded Super Rugby competition, introduce a handful of top test players - some of whom have never played - to Sevens and attempt to win the Olympics while also hoping the All Blacks secure a clean sweep in the June series and are crowned Rugby Championship winners.
"We could be in danger of spreading ourselves too thin, particularly given the period of the cycle we are in," says New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew. "And that is something that we will constantly weigh up and we had conversations on this as recently as yesterday.
"We don't have a complete picture yet as there are still a reasonable number of players deciding. As you would expect, the opportunity to go to the Olympics is something that every player will consider so there is certainly interest. Some players are weighing it up - for a lot of them, they are in the peak time of their 15s as well. There is no guarantee that if you walk away from your jersey in an All Black environment or even in your Super team that someone else doesn't grab it and it's not that easy to get back."
The difficulty of the logistical balancing act - of trying to not disadvantage Super Rugby squads who lose players to Sevens and protecting the All Blacks is significant.
Agreement was reached some time ago to put positional and franchise quotas in place. The All Blacks have asked that they don't lose more than one player from each position while the guideline is no more than two players from each franchise.
Exceptions will be made but not at first-five where the All Blacks will already be stretched after the departures of Carter, Slade and Tom Taylor.
All Black coach Steve Hansen insisted only one No 10 could be in the mix for Rio and Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens made it clear Barrett was his preferred choice - hence the announcement by Aaron Cruden earlier this year that he would not be sticking his hand up.
Super Rugby teams are waiting to learn more of the detail about how they will be compensated for players they lose.
Each player approached about playing Sevens was categorised 'A' or 'B'.
The former are players who may have previous experience, or are considered to have the necessary conditioning and skills to make the transition relatively easily and therefore will only need to play in two tournaments to prove their readiness.
The 'B' players will have to make a longer commitment to Sevens - and play more tournaments in the World Series which starts in December this year.
Super Rugby squads will be able to contract extra players as cover but are still going to be affected given the calibre of player they are likely to be losing.
The Chiefs will be especially hard hit, losing Messam and Williams for at least some of the campaign, but chief executive Andrew Flexman says: "Sonny and Liam have indicated their interest [to play Sevens] to us. We do expect them to be involved in our campaign but the picture around that I imagine will start to form soon.
"We have bought into the NZRU's wider ambition to win medals in Rio so if anyone else [from the Chiefs] has a desire to play Sevens then we will engage in those conversations but it would be on a case-by-case basis."
How it will work
• Extended group of players identified as possible Sevens converts earlier this year
• Players identified by Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens have until early June to declare their interest
• A 26-man extended Sevens squad will be named after Rugby World Cup
• World Sevens Series kicks off in December 2015 and 'B' players may be required to be available from then
• 'A' players will be required to play at least two World Series events before June 2016
• 12-man Olympic squad will be announced in June 2016
• Olympics run from August 5-18 and those picked won't be available for three-test series against Wales or the first two — possibly four — games of the Rugby Championship
Identified players
Sonny Bill Williams
Has never played Sevens but has the conditioning, physique, skills and attitude to be good at it.
Liam Messam
Has a strong Sevens background and made a name for himself there as a teenager.
Julian Savea
Played for New Zealand Sevens in 2009, appearing in a handful of tournaments. Is deadly in 15s — so could be unstoppable when he's let loose in Sevens.
Beauden Barrett
Was the man Gordon Tietjens most wanted. Barrett has pace, agility, rugby intelligence and a skill-set that allows him to pull off the impossible. Played in a couple of Sevens tournaments in 2010.
Ben Smith
Forced his way into the Commonwealth Games team that won gold in 2010 even though he'd never played Sevens before. Tietjens rated him as one of the best, most natural instinctive footballers he'd seen.
Malakai Fekitoa
Was first spotted in New Zealand playing Sevens for Tonga. Would have made the New Zealand team but wasn't eligible. Has superb conditioning, pace, power and destructive defence.
Victor Vito
Was dubbed the new Jonah Lomu after he was the star of the Wellington Sevens in 2008 and has popped up in the abbreviated game every now and again. Has the size and pace to be the sort of player no one will enjoy defending.
