Ross Karl: All Blacks must take selection risks sometime

OPINION: They say you can't beat Wellington on a good day - I'd dispute that.

But can you beat the All Blacks on a good day in Wellington. When you think of the French last week, losing 52-11, probably not.

The All Blacks have gone with the same 23 this week - the French have changed it up, but the All Blacks are looking for consistency.

Steve Hansen wants to continue to get that consistency through June - he tries it each year - to build up the game plans they're trying to create and the structures they're trying to form.

all blacks squad

If they can get that right through June, it's good for the rest of the year.

The other thing they need to do through the rest of the year is take a few risks with selections, once you have those other things bedded in. They need to start figuring out who to take to the World Cup next year.

Maybe later on, expect to see a few more risks here, maybe a few more off the bench to try out, like Shannon Frizell or those kind of people, to see if they're up to test football.

Now, what is this new gameplan that the All Blacks are looking to put out over the course of the year?

Of course, they won't tell us exactly what it is, but there will be little things that they're working on and bringing out each game.

Steve Hansen has talked about not bringing them out too quickly, because if they show all of their hand now, everyone else will react and come the World Cup, there will be no surprises.

Expect small bits of the All Blacks game plan to come out over the next little while. Keep an eye out to see what they are.

Maybe from the first game, you would have seen in the first half they were trying to play just a little wider than they usually do - maybe that's one of those things, but we can't really know just yet.

There's plenty to look out for from the All Blacks this year.

Ross Karl is Newshub rugby editor.

Join us at 7:30pm Saturday for live updates of the All Blacks vs France second test.