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All Blacks Reuben Thorne and Andrew Ellis have been named on the reserve bench for Canterbury's opening match against Bay of Plenty in Christchurch tomorrow.
The pair are among 11 All Blacks identified by national coach Graham Henry as needing more rugby.
But Canterbury coach Rob Penney has opted to balance their needs with those of his side in a move he admitted would "spark interest".
"We've had to weigh up what is best for Canterbury as well as factoring in the needs of the All Blacks' rugby World Cup squad members," Penney said.
"So it is a bit of a balancing act, but it's not too disruptive.
"While it is advantageous for our team having access to the quality and experience that Andy and Reuben represent, we also have to keep the bigger picture in mind.
"They will only be available to us for a couple more matches after the weekend, so we have to bed in the players and combinations that are going to serve us in the longer term."
Prop Greg Somerville will continue his campaign to be named as the 30th and final member of the World Cup squad.
Somerville, rehabilitating from a torn Achilles tendon, will start on the tighthead side of the scrum, having operated from the loosehead side against North Harbour in a pre-season game last weekend.
Four changes have been made to the Canterbury starting 15 who beat North Harbour 29-14.
Second-five-eighths Ben Nowell and halfback Kevin Senio come into the backline, and Wayne Crockett and blindside flanker Kieran Read join the forward pack.
- NZPA
