The better the team, the less leeway they ought to feel they have, in my opinion, to just toss a random lineup onto the field.

It seems to me that if you want the sport to grow, it is best served by the best teams playing something reasonably close to their best lineups. The teams that make up the world game are a continuum, and as such, the leading lights of the sport ought to feel some sort of obligation to field representative lineups against lesser opposition. The alternative is that the top nations play each other exclusively, and I don’t think anyone wants that.

I’ve seen Brazillian teams without their stars more often then with. Poor comparison.

BTW the Milanese are going to the game to see the one thing they do know about the All Blacks – The Haka.
Doesn’t matter who does it. The rugby will still be quality.

So what was your point again %-) other than the centres 6 & 4 looks like a pretty good side to me. But I am approaching this as a contrarian.

I’ll duck for cover now….

Won’t even mention the subject.

However, I would love if Martin Castrogiovanni did another number on the ABs front row like he did with the SA guys – three of them went home after he’d finished with them.

The fact that Henry had his little prepared statement about the tour objectives ready and that it’s main one was to try out new talent whilst delivering good rugby points to that this was planned and he knew he’d get brickbats over it. Turning up in the design and fashion capital of the world with a less than fashionable and designer-less team won’t go down well with the Milanese. But hey what do they know about rugby, you could reasonably ask.

My comment is really tied to the unusual circumstances of this match. If it was just in a small stadium in front of rugby diehards, I would have no problem with the selections. But 80,000 at San Siro does seem to be an usually evangelical opportunity that it is a shame to squander. Maybe it will give the Italians a frisson of excitement not to be thrashed by so much, but people should not be assumed to be idiots. The Italians will know they are not seeing the best NZ players, and they will be disappointed by that. Any sports fan first and foremost wants to see the best players. As an Australian I would care much less about the Wallabies beating a NZ side that lacked McCaw and Carter.

I also think it’s a shame for the top NZ players that they do not get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in front of a full San Siro. Even if they were to win by 100 points, in years to come they will still remember it more than yet another win at Twickenham in two weeks time.

Finally, you surely can’t expect me to take a comment like “the AB’s owe the game nothing” seriously? Everyone who plays the game owes it something, and the higher one’s status, the more one owes. It’s called noblesse oblige.

If things start to go balls up, the replacements from the bench will be quick.

New Zealand’s responsibility to rugby is to itself, just like every other nation. It is the predominant brand in the world and as such it requires maintenance. No doubt if they gave Italy a hiding, there’d be complaints about New Zealand setting back Italy’s rugby, much like there are about the 1995 murder of Japan.

If the Italians are good enough then they’ll get a result – if they’re not then what’s the point of picking the top team esp when they’ve got back-to-back-to-back games … it’s unfortunate but it’s now part of the touring schedule at some stage they second string side was going to get a run out – and everybody knew that this game along with the babas game was going to be it – NZ have done nothing different to what’s been done in the past by Australia and SA ….

the NZ selectors have enough pressure to perform every time they walk out on the paddock – they don’t now have to also be burdened with being the standard bearers for “what is best for the game of rugby as a whole” … while others can merrily go forth and foist farce games such as that rubbish babas game the ARU scheduled in their brand new market earlier this year …

The Italian RU have taken full advantage of having the AB’s in town – they’ll walk away with 100% of the gate and the result may be closer – so the supporters should be more engaged also

No disrespect is intended and I doubt the Italians see it that way either. i would think Italian rugby would get more from a close result – one way or the other, than a complete arse-whipping. You would have to imagine that there will be a vast number of people new to rugby at the game, and should Italy get up? My God, that would be sensational for the game!

Lastly, the AB’s owe the game nothing.

Now NZ is in Italy, who will be roared on by 80,000 at San Siro. So what happens with team selection? A completely experimental side, largely consisting of second-stringers, is chosen. Yes, I know the All Blacks have made major strides forward in their last few matches, but isn’t there a strong whiff of over-confidence, perhaps hubris, about these selections?

I guess it’s inconceivable that NZ could lose to Italy (surely not?), but there is such a thing as respect. The Italians have some very capable rugby players (Parisse, Gower, etc.), and surely they proved on their mid-year Australasian tour that they deserve to be treated with respect. Further, 80,000 fans are not coming to San Siro to see NZ’s second best, but that is what they are going to be dished up. What an opportunity for rugby that is being recklessly trashed by the NZ selectors here. They cannot be blamed for Carter’s undeserved suspension – how sad that the Italians will not get to see the man-of-the-moment play – but they can be blamed for benching most of the top All Blacks XV.

I do not often agree with Stephen Jones, but this definitely is a case where he is correct in his refrain that NZ only ever think of themselves, not of what is best for the game of rugby as a whole. Let the Italians see NZ’s best players, just as everyone wants to see Brazil’s best when they take the football field. Does it really matter if playing against Italy makes those players just a little bit more jaded against France and England in the following weeks?