This archive report was first published on 1 July 2019.
On Tuesday, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen will name an extended 41-man team for the Rugby Championship, a crucial step in the team's quest for a third successive Rugby World Cup title.
As Hansen enters his last four months with the team he has been part of since 2004, he has already stated that his final 31-man team for the World Cup in Japan will come from the players he names for the Rugby Championship.
The 60-year-old coach will name the extended squad for the first two games of the Championship – against Argentina in Buenos Aires on July 20 and the July 27 clash against South Africa in Wellington.
However, few players from the Canterbury Crusaders, who face the Jaguares in the Super Rugby final in Christchurch on Saturday, are expected to travel to face the Pumas.
"It's a great challenge... because you've got to get your 31 right," Hansen told New Zealand's Sunday Star-Times at the weekend. "I'm really excited by it, and it's something you really look forward to in your career."
— Steve Hansen, All Blacks coach While Hansen has previously produced some left-field selections, in recent years he has typically stuck with players he can trust and boasts an unprecedented winning ratio of over 88 percent during his tenure from 2012. On Tuesday's nationally televised announcement, at the Ponsonby Rugby Club in Auckland, much of the focus will be on the composition of Hansen's backline.
