KEY POINTS:
Joe Rokocoko will stay in New Zealand until 2010 and he played yesterday for the Auckland Bs to sharpen his game ahead of the All Black tour.
Officially, Rokocoko hasn't been told he will be in the All Black squad when it is named two weeks today. But given coach Graham Henry says he has already selected the 35 and Rokocoko was advised to play yesterday - it would appear the big wing is in the party.
In any other year, Rokocoko's inclusion would not merit discussion. This is 'Smokin Joe II' we are talking about, the man who sits fourth on the list of all-time All Black try scorers with 43 from 48 tests.
This is a 101kg, 1.90m explosive package that can erupt at any time. So in any other year he'd be one of the first on the team sheet.
But 2008 has not been good for the 25-year-old. It has probably been the toughest year since he made an indelible impression in 2003 as a fearless 19-year-old who had a lethal injection of pace and that glorious ability to be in the right place at the right time.
It started to go wrong in mid-March when he tore a ligament in his wrist. The injury seemed innocuous but needed surgery and took longer to heal than predicted.
Once he made it back into Auckland colours at the end of August to play Waikato, he joined a team short on confidence and he didn't see the level of action he would have liked.
A hamstring strain picked up against Bay of Plenty kept him out for a couple more games and, when Auckland crashed to Northland, that was it for Rokocoko - he had no more games left to win back his All Black place.
He was officially a problem for the selectors. He'd only played five Super 14 games and three and a half provincial games. His form reflected his lack of game time.
Everyone would have been happier if Auckland had mounted a late charge just to give Rokocoko a few more games to sharpen his work.
But it didn't happen and that is frustrating for both Rokocoko and the All Black selectors. They know precisely what their man can do and they want to take him to the UK. But they also know, as does Rokocoko, that he's still some way short of the match sharpness he'll need in the test arena.
"I feel like I am lacking game time," said Rokocoko. "I thought that before we played Northland, that if we lost, I'd look to see if I could play for the Bs. I spoke to Howy [Auckland coach Shane Howarth] about it and he thought that would be a good idea and shouldn't be a problem.
"I was quite happy with my fitness but I made a few mistakes and that is about getting used to reacting to things."
Those All Blacks not involved in the Air New Zealand Cup final will come into camp after the semis and will play at least one controlled game. Training will also have a physical, competitive edge as many of the squad have had limited game time since the last test in Brisbane.
The selectors will fancy they can hone the instincts and reactions of Rokocoko in that week and have him just about ready to play a test.
And the big man is desperate to rekindle his All Black career having missed the Tri Nations and having also re-signed a contract to stay here until 2010.
"I am really excited. There are a lot of things I want to achieve over the next two years," he said.
Playing well for the All Blacks next month is one of them. And immediately after that, he'll take up an invitation to play for the Barbarians against the Wallabies at Wembley on December 3.
