Rugby: Road to this World Cup cleared of clutter

Off-field commitments proved a distraction for Richie McCaw and the All Blacks at the 2007 World Cup. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Distractions will be kept to a minimum in the All Blacks World Cup campaign because the 2015 mission to England will have none of the peripheral intrusion that impacted on the last failed foreign mission in 2007.

Eight years ago in France there was, as determined by the most extensive review, too much going on in the background.

As per usual, everyone - hosts, fans, sponsors, broadcasters, organisers, media - wanted a piece of the All Blacks. And everyone got what they wanted.

There was also considerable untidiness behind the scenes, with several players dealing with the logistics of their impending moves to offshore clubs.

Most peculiar of all, was the contract situation of captain Richie McCaw. He ended up signing a deal the day before the infamous quarter-final loss to France.

Negotiations had dragged on for an age and he decided to sign a short extension just to bring things to a temporary close with a view to engaging again after the tournament.

Poor selection, decision-making and execution were the primary causes of the All Blacks' early exit from that tournament, but the endless non-playing demands on the team contributed to the disaster.

Which is why this time there will be a cleaner, more concentrated approach to dealing with some of the clutter that comes with the territory.

The first few days after the All Blacks arrive, they won't set up at their base in Richmond. Instead, they will be in central London, where they intend to take care of most of their commercial obligations.

"That's a general approach and it is different from previous years," says New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew.

"We have put two big commercial windows in before we start playing and we will do a lot of the work with our [commercial] partners in those two windows.

"There will be some stuff that has to be done at other times but it is a different approach and it came from the team [players] as a concept and our commercial team have worked hard to make that work and we will review how it went after it has gone.

"World Cups are complicated anyway because not all our commercial partners can do what they want to do anyway around the World Cup in any case.

"We are offshore so it narrows it down to those partners who have international rights and clearly we are keen to give Steve [Hansen] and the team the best possible chance to prepare week in, week out for the games that are in front of them, particularly when we get to the point where if you don't win, you are on the plane home."

Contracting work has also been completed so there won't be any player in the All Blacks squad who doesn't know what they are doing after the tournament.

The likes of Dan Carter, Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith, who are heading offshore after the tournament, signed their contracts much earlier in the year to ensure they have maximum time to deal with the associated logistics.

None of this means the All Blacks will necessarily be better prepared, but it at least gives them a chance to be better prepared.

"At the end of the day, we are always looking for improvement," says Tew.

"We always review everything after we have done something because that is how you get better. The way we prepare the team is constantly scrutinised. I wouldn't say it is working the other way."