All Blacks name squad for end of year tour

New Zealand All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has named a 34 man playing squad for their end of year tour which starts in Chicago and includes Sonny Bill Williams and Dan Carter.

The All Blacks will play the four sides over respective weekends, with the first Test of the tour against the USA at Soldier Field, Chicago, on Saturday 1 November.

Along with the return of Williams and Carter Hansen has also included loose forward Victor Vito and lock Luke Romano.

Midfielder Sonny Bill Williams returned to New Zealand rugby with his Counties Manukau ITM Cup provincial side earlier this month after two seasons away from the game. Williams, who last played for the All Blacks in 2012, has inked deals with New Zealand Rugby and the Chiefs for the 2015-2016 seasons.

Loose forward Victor Vito also returns to the team after being out since the series in June with injury while Romano has returns to the national side after a long injury layoff.

All Blacks Head Coach Steve Hansen said it was decided to include Romano as a 34th player as the selectors felt, with a limited number of Tests next year before the Rugby World Cup, and given he had been out of the game for a while, it was important to bring him back into the group and up to speed with the All Blacks strategies and skillsets.

Another feature is the inclusion of halfback Augustine Pulu, who has been named in his first official All Blacks squad, after being called into the All Blacks as an injury replacement for last weekend’s Bledisloe Cup Test preparations.

“I want to congratulate all those who have been selected and also commiserate with the unlucky players who haven’t made it this time. It was a very hard team to select, more because of the depth we have, rather than people not being good enough to make it,” Hansen said.

The positional split for the squad sees 19 forwards selected (three hookers, five props, five locks and six loose forwards) and 15 backs (three halfbacks, three first five-eighths, four midfielders and five outside backs).

The All Blacks squad will again be led by the All Blacks’ most capped player, long-time captain and openside flanker Richie McCaw, who will be making his 11th tour to Europe.

The squad has a combined total of 1,249 Test caps experience and, as well as McCaw, features three of the other most capped All Blacks of all-time in their position: hooker Keven Mealamu, first five-eighth Daniel Carter and centre Conrad Smith.

Three players, halfback Tawera Kerr-Barlow, midfielder Ma’a Nonu and prop Tony Woodcock, were not available for selection because of injuries.

The squad features a spread of Super Rugby representation and is made up of three Highlanders players, 10 Crusaders, nine Hurricanes, seven Chiefs and five Blues while provincial representation is led by Canterbury (nine players) with Wellington (seven), Auckland (six), Bay of Plenty (three), Counties Manukau, Hawke’s Bay and Manawatu (two); and Waikato, Taranaki and Otago (one).

Looking at the tour ahead, Hansen said the squad was looking forward to kicking off the Northern Tour with the historic Test match against the USA Eagles.

“It’s going to be an exciting week in Chicago as we build up for the match at Soldier Field. It’s somewhere different for the team which will be stimulating, the match is sold out, which is fantastic, and we are looking forward to showing American rugby fans what the All Blacks are all about.

“The England Test match the following week is going to be massive. We have already played them three times this year and we are their first opponent at home in what will be a big Series for them and they will be looking to put a stake in the ground, as will we.

“Scotland and Wales will then offer their own unique challenges in the second half of the Tour.”

Hansen said the Northern Tour would provide his side with the opportunity to develop ideas on several fronts.

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