 Henry is well into his planning for next year's World Cup |
New Zealand are to bring an expanded squad of 32, rather than 30, players for their November tour of Europe. Coach Graham Henry plans to bring a third hooker and scrum-half to cover a demanding schedule featuring Tests with England, France (two) and Wales.
"We have a short turnaround between major Tests against England (5 Nov) and France (11 Nov)," Henry said.
"It is prudent to have additional cover in specialist positions, given the time it would take to call up replacements."
The additional players will also enable Henry to build further depth in his squad for the type of schedule they can expect if they progress to next year's World Cup final in France.
"We have a sequence of four big Tests which will be a significant challenge and a good 'road test' for us ahead of the World Cup," he added.
All Blacks' November Test schedule:
5 Nov: England (Twickenham) 1530 KO
11 Nov: France (Stade Gerland, Lyon) 2000
18 Nov: France (Stade de France, Paris) 2000
25 Nov: Wales (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff) 1700
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 