Coach Steve Hansen faces balancing act to fine-tune All Blacks
Veteran players eyeing swansong at World Cup but the coach also has to look to the future
The All Blacks' veteran core of players will drag themselves through one final Rugby Championship and try to bed down tactics for the World Cup, but coach Steve Hansen must also strike a balance between proven performers and the future of the team.
Several of Hansen's side are unlikely to wear the national jersey again after the World Cup in England later this year.
Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu and Dan Carter are joining French clubs while captain Richie McCaw, hooker Keven Mealamu and loosehead prop Tony Woodcock are all expected to retire from top-class rugby at the end of the year.
Hansen has overhauled the 2011 World Cup winning side by introducing new players to provide an exciting balance to grizzled veterans, aiming to play a high-paced game and stretch their opponents across the field.
Much of Hansen's World Cup squad will already have been pencilled in before New Zealand bid for a fourth successive Rugby Championship title, but there are opportunities for fringe players to make the final cut on August 30.
World Cup winners Cory Jane and Israel Dagg will also be trying to ensure they are on the plane to London in a crowded selection puzzle in the outside backs after injury-ravaged seasons took a toll on their form.
Sopoaga could still play in the Rugby Championship after a brilliant Super Rugby season vaulted him into national contention, though Hansen said the learning curve was steep.
"It's a big ask to expect [him] to come in and take over a role like [fly half]," Hansen said. "He's got quite a bit of learning to do before we let him loose.
"But, at some point, we'd like to think we can get everyone a bit of an opportunity over these next [few] games."
Meanwhile, this year's Rugby Championship holds extra significance for injury-plagued South Africa as coach Heyneke Meyer scrambles to test his available combinations just two months out from the World Cup.
When Meyer took over the Springboks at the start of 2012 he would have expected to use this tournament for fine-tuning of his game plan, but instead will seek cover for injured first-team regulars in the coming weeks.
With experienced campaigners Duane Vermeulen, Willem Alberts, Frans Steyn, Fourie du Preez and Jacque Fourie in a race against time to be fit for the World Cup in England, Meyer is still looking at his options.
There is also uncertainty over the availability of captain Jean de Villiers after a knee reconstruction that saw him miss the entire 2015 Super Rugby season, though he came through an unscathed 20 minutes in the 46-10 victory over a World XV last Saturday.
