Cape Town - Eight All Blacks will be rested for the opening round of this year's Super Rugby tournament.
READ: Super Rugby 2015 fixture list
According to an agreement with the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU), players can be rested at any time during the tournament, but the
Blues, Crusaders and Chiefs have opted to do it in the
opening round starting on Friday, February 13, which sees the Blues host the
Chiefs and the Crusaders at home to the Reds.
The Highlanders (who have a
bye in Round 1) and Hurricanes (who head to South Africa to face the Lions) will rest their
All Blacks later in the season.
Players who will miss Round 1 include Blues hooker Keven Mealamu and
lock Patrick Tuipulotu; Chiefs lock Brodie Retallick, loose forward Liam
Messam and flyhalf Aaron Cruden; as well as Crusaders lock Sam
Whitelock, No 8 Kieran Read and fullback Israel Dagg.
Whitelock and Read won't return to the Crusaders until Round 5 after exercising their mini-sabbatical clauses while All Blacks captain Richie McCaw will likely link up with the camp by February.
However, Dan Carter has expressed a desire to return to action early.
NEW ZEALAND 2015 SUPER RUGBY SQUADS:
BLUES
Josh Bekhuis, Luke Braid, Joe Edwards, Charlie
Faumuina, Blake Gibson, Jerome Kaino, Will Lloyd, Steven Luatua, Keven
Mealamu, Matt Moulds, Brendon O'Connor, James Parsons, Greg
Pleasants-Tate, Sam Prattley, Culum Retallick, Peter Saili, Angus
Ta'avao, Hayden Triggs, Patrick Tuipulotu, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Tony
Woodcock, Pita Ahki, Dan Bowden, Jimmy Cowan, Jamison Gibson-Park, Frank
Halai, Bryn Hall, Simon Hickey, Ben Lam, Tevita Li, George Moala,
Melani Nanai, Hamish Northcott, Charles Piutau, Francis Saili, Matt
Vaega, Lolagi Visinia, Ihia West
CRUSADERS
Wyatt Crockett, Joe Moody, Tim Perry, Owen
Franks, Nepo Laulala, Ben Funnell, Codie Taylor, Ged Robinson, Luke
Romano, Sam Whitelock, Dominic Bird, Jimmy Tupou, Scott Barrett, Luke
Whitelock, Richie McCaw, Matt Todd, Kieran Read, Jordan Taufua, Alex
Hodgman, Tom Sanders, Jed Brown, Andy Ellis, Willi Heinz, Mitchell
Drummond, Daniel Carter, Colin Slade, Tom Taylor, Kieran Fonotia, Ryan
Crotty, Robbie Fruean, Nemani Nadolo, Jone Macilai, Johnny McNicholl,
Nafi Tuitavake, Israel Dagg, Richie Mo’unga, David Havili, Nathaniel
Apa
CHIEFS
Ben Afeaki, Michael Allardice, Johan Bardoul,
Sam Cane, Aaron Cruden, Mike Fitzgerald, Leon Fukofuka, Hosea Gear,
Mitchell Graham, Nathan Harris, Bryce Heem, Andrew Horrell, Tevita
Koloamatangi, Michael Leitch, Anton Lienert-Brown, James Lowe, Pauliasi
Manu, Tom Marshall, Rhys Marshall, Damian McKenzie, Quentin MacDonald,
Jamie MackIntosh, Marty McKenzie, Liam Messam, Charlie Ngatai, Sean
Polwart, Brodie Retallick, Augustine Pulu, Toni Pulu, Liam Squire, Matt
Symons, Seta Tamanivalu, Ben Tameifuna, Siate Tokolahi, Maama Vaipulu,
Brad Weber, Sonny Bill Williams, Tim Nanai-Williams
HIGHLANDERS
Kane Hames, Pingi Tala’apitaga, Ma’afu
Fia, Ross Geldenhuys, Josh Hohneck, Brendon Edmonds, Liam Coltman, Ash
Dixon, Tom Franklin, Joe Wheeler, Alex Ainley, Mark Reddish, Dan Pryor,
Gareth Evans, John Hardie, Shane Christie, Nasi Manu, Elliot Dixon,
Aaron Smith, Fumiaki Tanaka, Marty Banks, Lima Sopoaga, Hayden Parker,
Trent Renata, Shaun Treeby, Jason Emery, Malakai Fekitoa, Richard
Buckman, Waisake Naholo, Patrick Osborne, Ben Smith, Kurt Baker
HURRICANES
Ben Franks, Mark Abbott, Geoffrey Cridge,
Dane Coles, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, Jeremy Thrush, Brad Shields, Ardie
Savea, Victor Vito, TJ Perenara, Julian Savea, Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith,
Cory Jane, Jason Woodward, Reggie Goodes, Motu Matu'u, John Schwalger,
Christian Lloyd, Matt Proctor, Callum Gibbins, Nehe Milner-Skudder,
Chris Eves, James Broadhurst, Beauden Barrett, Iopu Iopu-Aso, Blade
Thomson, James Marshall, Chris Smylie, Vince Aso, Reynold Lee-Lo, Willis
Halaholo