All Blacks back for ITM Cup
Seventeen All Blacks travelled back home to New Zealand in anticipation of rejoining their ITM Cup sides, in the hopes to help their current cub in this ITM Cup season, which is now heading into its eighth week.
The majority of the All Blacks minutes are being carefully monitored as the club has a game against Australia scheduled for 17 October in Hong Kong. All Blacks coach Graham Henry is keen to ensure that his players are not given too difficult a workload before
the team heads out on its tour of the Northern Hemisphere. In addition, New Zealand’s skipper would also like a healthy starting line-up for the Rugby World Cup, which is to be held in New Zealand in 2011.
Henry said of the All Blacks platform regarding ITM Cup and Super rugby participation. “...We are taking a sensible approach in managing their workload as we prepare for the end of the year tour as well as the new Super rugby competition in 2011.”
The All Blacks will slowly filter back into the ITM competition as it continues this month. The more prominent Kiwis will not be returned to their club line-ups until later in the season, whereas the bench players will be available much earlier.
Players that see limited action such as, Liam Messam, Benson Stanley, Colin Slade and Rene Ranger have already been made available for games this weekend. Meanwhile, John Afoa, and Corey Flynn will be returned in round nine, with Israel Dagg, Joe Rokocoko
and Victor Vito will not play again until round eleven, while even more prominent players such as Jimmy Cowan, Owen Franks and Tony Woodcock are not expected back until the following week.
The game management becomes particularly important with the World Cup fast approaching, and is expected to play an even larger role during the Super 15 season.
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