The joke doing the rounds in the All Blacks right now is you don't want to be last on the bus, or to the buffet line. You might just miss out on a seat or, worse, your dinner.
But it's only half said in jest. Right now, in Paris on leg two of a four-week jaunt north, Steve Hansen has assembled what is surely the largest ever All Blacks touring party. Now that Canterbury skipper Luke Whitelock has been seconded from Baabaas duty to cover for the crocked Jerome Kaino (PCL), on top of his five previously determined team-mates from the invitation side, the group numbers 43.
At Tuesday training, as the players (minus the ill Liam Squire), coaches, medical staff and management poured into the suburban Parisian ground, it seemed as busy as the infamous Arc de Triomphe roundabout. With about as much room to manoeuvre as well.
Remember back when we used to mock England for the unwieldy size of their touring squads? Well, the All Blacks have joined those ranks. And they don't care what anyone says. There is method to their madness, and it is principally about building the deepest, most experienced squad possible for their tilt at a third straight World Cup triumph, and generating the revenue required to fund the retention of all those fabulous players.
Firstly the 43 players Hansen has in France this week is almost certainly a record. By way of comparison, the 1924-25 Invincibles, who played 32 matches between September of 1924 and February of 1925 on a tour of the United Kingdom, France, Ireland and Canada (and won all of 'em) had 29; and the 1996 Incomparables, who won the first ever series in South Africa on a tour that featured four tests and four midweek matches, had 36.
Hansen has added the extra players essentially to protect his test squad of 23 whom he wanted to keep as free as possible - with one or two exceptions - to focus on the three tests. Some even flew over late after some extra home time. There has been a seriously thought-out plan put together aimed at allowing these troops to do their team, themselves and their country justice at a time of the year that can feel like the last 5k of a marathon.
To the three mandated tests, NZ Rugby has added the tour-opening fixture against the Barbarians at Twickenham and next Tuesday's clash against a French XV in Lyon.
If you listen to Hansen, that's all about allowing younger, less experienced, potential 2019 World Cup players to experience top rugby in the best learning environment on the rugby planet. It's a sound rationale.
But there's another element not exactly shouted from the rooftops. The two fixtures in London and Lyon are also tipped to swell NZR's coffers by up to $5 million.
That's money desperately needed by HQ, not only to retain players in the face of unprecedented competition from the UK, France, Ireland and Japan; but also to pay the bloated wage bill of Hansen's squad.
In France alone NZR will have to dish out $322,5000 just to pay the base weekly salaries of the 43 assembled players. Bonuses, match payments and other costs will swell that figure further. Multiply that by four (weeks on tour), and you have a fair idea why those additional matches become so important.
All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster said there were positives and negatives of having an enlarged squad. Staff were challenged, logistics stretched and individual teaching became difficult. But having dual XVs with reserves on the sideline allowed much more effective training.
"And there's plenty of energy round the squad. There are scraps to see who sits where on the bus ... they're fighting for every bit of food and every seat they can get. That has brought energy to the squad at a good time. We've got to make sure we don't get distracted by the size and stay focused on one task which is the test match."
Added experienced flanker Sam Cane: "The biggest difference is trying to find seats on the bus. The younger boys don't want to tread too far back. We've got a big bus and she's pretty much all full up."
The last word goes to the man who twisted the arm of his boss to approve this touring juggernaut. "What we're trying to do is grow some depth, and we're doing that," says Hansen. "I know for a fact we'll end up with some quality people and have a good group to select from in 2019.
"The extra games suited us this time because it gives that second group two opportunities which is gold because they're getting more experience."
In this case Hansen is betting that bigger really is better. And that the payoff will come in 2019.
- Stuff
