Graham Henry has announced the return of Chris Masoe to the All Blacks squad, replacing the injured Richie McCaw for the upcoming Tri Nations.

Masoe has been playing club rugby since missing out on the All Blacks, but has been selected ahead of rookies Liam Messam and Tanerau Latimer - both of whom have been playing for the New Zealand Maori's.

Henry has selected Masoe because of his experience at Test level, and felt that it wasn't the right time to bring in any more rookies - especially against the Springboks.

"Chris's experience against South Africa and knowledge of our systems mean he's the right choice." - Henry

The other addition to the squad is lock Kevin O'Neill, who will cover Ali Williams if he cannot take the field on Saturday. However, Henry is confident that Ali will be fit and ready to play in his 50th Test.

With Brad Thorn and Anthony Boric both available, it's hard to see O'Neill playing this weekend.

Strange thing about O'Neill's selection - Henry said he didn't think the time was right to bring in anymore rookies. Yet O'Neill gets the nod ahead of Jason Eaton and Ross Filipo, both of whom have played for the All Blacks, and have far more experience than O'Neill.

Yeah - we can't figure that one out either...

It seems as though Eaton has fallen out of favour with Henry, which is unfortunate as New Zealand needs all the locks it can get right now. Jason Eaton should be in the All Black's, and should have been since the beginning of their campaign.

While McCaw is a huge loss, the All Black's showed against England that they can perform around the ruck without him. We believe the loose forwards should be So'oialo at No. 8, Thomson at blindside, Masoe at openside and Kaino on the bench.

The Springboks are a very physical side, and the All Blacks will need to be at the top of their game if they are to out-muscle them in the forwards. The All Black's best weapon is their speed, which Thomson and Masoe will be able to utilise around the field. Whatever happens this Saturday, the one thing we know for sure is that it will be the All Black's toughest Test so far this year.

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