I was just looking at it yesterday that the ideal starting XV for the All Blacks all hardly featured this past weekend in the Super 14 for one reason or the other. Most of them are injured which certainly does not bode well for the All Blacks in the build up to the Tri-Nations whilst some of them are just not starting for their franchises and something is going on in Auckland where you have a whole bunch of All Blacks on leave expecting their partners to give birth. It is funny that you have 3 players all expecting kids at the same time! That means the deed was done at roughly the same time. Where were the Blues players this time 9 months ago?

Looking at it from an All Blacks view, you have Tonny Woodcock in the front row, he did not start for the Blues this weekend. Then there is Andrew Hore (New Zealands Player of The Year) he is out injured for a while then Kevin Mealamu is also out injured for the Blues. In the second row, both Brad Thorn and Ali Williams are out injured. The loose trio: Richie McCaw was out injured for the Crusaders this past weekend, Jerome Kaino is one of those expecting a baby and 8th man Rodney was suspended.

At number 9 you have Jimmy Cowan out injured. We all know that Dan Carter is out injured for a while. The All Black centre combination of Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith all came off the bench for the Hurricanes. On the wing, Joe Rockoko is expecting a baby, but Sivivatu is at least the only one playing. Then at full back you have Muliaina and he is also out injured.

So if the All Blacks were to play a match today, they would be looking VERY thin. Hopefully all those guys are back to fitness and in form come the Tri-Nations.



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