Graham Henry - All Black season starts

The start of the All Blacks cull came yesterday and, stacked on top of the voluntary exodus, it has consumed nearly half the World Cup squad.

Elite players out of the four New Zealand sides eliminated from the Super 14, gathered in Auckland - but there was no room for Reuben Thorne, Chris Masoe, Nick Evans and Isaia Toeava from last year, or Jerry Collins, who quit the stage this week.

All Blacks coach Graham Henry revealed Collins would not have been selected for the squad training in Auckland this week before the best of that group and the elite Crusaders are meshed on Sunday in the 26-man national squad for the June tests against Ireland and England.

"His form had wavered and he'd be the first to agree with that," Henry said on radio. "I talked to him two weeks ago and said to him that it [blindside] was a very competitive position and that other guys were playing better than he was at the time.

"We watched him play against the Blues for the Hurricanes and the semifinal against the Crusaders last weekend, and things didn't change a great deal in that respect."

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[Stinso93]

@ukidding 2 in 3 yrs of rugby? doesnt seem to be workin for em haha

[ukidding]

why pick graham over robbie?

It is an australian conspiracy to defeat the all blacks