Sonny Bill Williams has been left out of the All Blacks' squad to face the Wallabies in Hong Kong on Saturday night.

The All Blacks' reserves bench takes on an element of intrigue before the Bledisloe Cup test at Hong Kong Stadium on Saturday.

Daniel Carter appears poised to start the Bledisloe Cup rugby finale but may lack the match fitness to make a complete return from ankle surgery.

The revamped design for the troubled Rugby World Cup "party central" on Auckland's waterfront is a structure that has been dubbed "The Cloud".

The accolades continue to mount for Sonny Bill Williams with his main All Black rival lauding the league convert's transition to the brink of test rugby.

Familiarity with the new law interpretations could give the All Blacks an edge on the Grand Slam tour.

Daniel Carter is working hard on his conditioning as he eyes a return to the All Blacks.

The Northern Hemisphere rugby nations are resigned to playing catch-up with New Zealand, says ex-England coach Brian Ashton.

Bosses are calling for a guarantee the industrial disputes threatening to derail The Hobbit won't be repeated in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

All Blacks hooker Andrew Hore will play a big role in the team leadership group.

The size, power and skill of the All Black backline selected for next month's northern tour is something to behold.

About 100 seats in the $256 million Eden Park upgrade are useless because almost all of one try line and a good chunk of the field are blocked from view.

Former All Black Richard Loe picks his 30 players that should go on the All Blacks' end of year tour.

Perception and reality have never been bedfellows in the career of Sonny Bill Williams.

Colin Bourke will be watching with interest but not much hope when the All Blacks team is named tonight.

Israel Dagg and Piri Weepu are likely to be the big omissions, with Canterbury's Matt Todd tipped as a tour bolter.

For the next 48 hours, the nation's rugby aficionados will second-guess the All Black selectors.

Medical tests and intuition will be crucial selection components before the All Black touring squad is announced on Sunday.

Several underdone All Blacks may play for their provinces in the final round of the ITM Cup before they link up with their teammates in Hong Kong.

It was interesting to hear Graham Henry say that Australia will be the All Blacks' biggest competition for the World Cup.