Graham Henry and Co. have named their 35 man squad for the tour to Britain, which includes the Test against Australia in Hong Kong this Saturday.

The squad includes seven new comers, while Jason Eaton, Corey Flynn, Joe Rokocoko and Ross Filipo have all made a return to the All Blacks after absences.

The only concern with the squad is that John Afoa is carrying an injury, and could be in some doubt - which has prompted Greg Sommerville to make himself available if required for the Test against the Wallabies. This would suggest to us that Henry is not prepared to throw Jaime Mackintosh or Ben Franks (the two new props) into the mix first-up, which seems strange seeing as they have been selected. Who knows whats going on in Henry's mind...

The other new comer's include Scott Waldrom (who will most likely act as McCaw's understudy), Liam Meesam, Keiran Read (all loose forwards), while in the backs Hosea Gear and Cory Jane are rewarded for strong Air New Zealand Cup campaigns.

Andy Ellis returns to the squad after missing much of the Tri Nations through injury, but he will have to fight hard to get game time, as both Cowan and Weepu have proven themselves to be the best halfbacks in the country. And, with Brendon Leonard returning next year (depending on form, of course), Ellis may find himself slipping well down the pecking order.

Those unlucky to miss out include Jeremy Thrush, Thomas Waldrom, John Schwalger, Rudi Wulf and Hika Elliot (who will play for the Highlanders next year - a great purchase for them).

Tours to Britain are never easy, especially when you throw in a Test against Australia to begin with, but this is a strong squad capable of producing some good rugby.

It will be interesting to see how much game time the new boys get, but there will be no better time than now to give them some experience.

Here's the full squad:

Andrew Hore, Kevin Mealamu, Corey Flynn, John Afoa, Tony Woodcock, Neemia Tialata, Jaime Mackintosh, Ben Franks, Ali Williams, Brad Thorn, Anthony Boric, Jason Eaton, Ross Filipo, Richie McCaw (c), Rodney So'oialo, Jerome Kaino, Adam Thomson, Scott Waldrom, Keiran Read, Liam Meesam, Piri Weepu, Jimmy Cowan, Andy Ellis, Dan Carter, Stephen Donald, Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Richard Kahui, Isaia Toeava, Hosea Gear, Joe Rokocoko, Sitivini Sivivatu, Anthony Tuitavake, Mils Muliana, Cory Jane.

The All Black selectors have named a 25 man training squad, which will take on the New Zealand Barbarians on Wednesday.

This isn't the full squad that will tour the Northern hemisphere in a few weeks, as none of the Wellington or Canterbury players have been selected due to their upcoming Air New Zealand Cup final this weekend.

There have been a few new names added to the All Blacks squad from earlier in the year, including Jamie Mackintosh, Liam Meesam, Tanerau Latimer, Scott Waldrom and Ben Franks (Franks trained with the team earlier in the year when Afoa was injured, but did not play). Jason Eaton and Joe Rokocoko have both been added to the squad, which gives them a great opportunity to regain their place in the final squad.

The selection of Scott Waldrom is probably the biggest shot out of the blue, but since his return from a career-threatening injury he has been in great form - for both the Hurricanes and Taranaki. We expect that his brother Thomas will also make the squad, after he's finished with Wellington's season.

Latimer is also a surprising selection - for us, anyway - but like Scott, he's a solid player that seems to fly under the radar. Whether or not these two make the final squad (it would seem highly unlikely considering McCaw, So'oialo and probably Thomas Waldrom will make the loose forwards), it's a good sign that our depth in the loose forward position is extremely deep right now.

Our thoughts - the loose forwards will be McCaw, So'oialo, Kaino, Thomson, Meesam and T. Waldrom - but we wouldn't be surprised if Keiran Reid also gets the nod. The only worrying selection is that they've also picked Sione Luaki in the training squad, and we don't feel he's good enough at Test level.

It's great to finally see Mackintosh get selected. He's been in great form for Southland this year, and continues to mature into another of New Zealand's fine prop forwards. If it came down to either him or Franks getting the nod, we'd certainly go with the Southlander.

Eaton must be counting his blessings at his reselection. His form in the Air New Zealand Cup has not been his best, and with the likes of Jeremy Thrush and Tom Donnelly continuing to grow in the locking position, he must be considering himself quite lucky. He does, however, have the talent to play for the All Blacks. We've seen it over the past few years, and he'll just have to put the last few months behind him and take this opportunity with both hands.

The omission of Hika Elliot suggests to us that Graham Henry and Co have Corey Flynn in mind as the third hooker, or possibly (although highly unlikely), young Dane Coles, who has been impressing a few people for Wellington this year.

We definitely think there'll be a few more newcomers once the Wellington and Canterbury players are added on Sunday morning, so the players in the training squad had better train hard if they want to make the final selection.

They've been given the opportunity - the rest is in their hands.

It's the clash everyone has been waiting for - the All Blacks versus the Wallabies. But, most importantly...

It's Henry versus Deans.

Henry's reappointment as the All Black coach left a lot of New Zealander's bitter, especially in the Canterbury region, where Deans is portrayed as a cult figure. It's also left many Kiwis claiming that they'll support Australia in this year's Tri Nations, which we think is absolute insanity.

Simply put - any Kiwi who supports Australia should be ashamed of themselves. To think there are New Zealander's out there supporting the Wallabies...we just can't get our heads around it. It's simply unbelievable.

Anyway...

With the Wallabies getting the surprise victory over the Springboks in Perth, the All Blacks won't be able to take this game lightly. Not that we think they will - Bledisloe Cup matches are always tough.

Just when you think the Wallabies have no chance, they step up and beat you...but the All Blacks will by no means be easy to down.

The return of Richie McCaw to training has bolstered our chances, and he's a real chance of playing this weekend. Against the likes of George Smith, he'll be crucial to our chances.

There are a few changes expected to the All Blacks side - Jimmy Cowan looks like he's going to get his first start of the year (it's about time if you ask us), and Richard Kahui is rumoured to be starting at center.

The time has come, folks. Henry vs Deans - bring it on!

A 25-man training squad was announced on Monday, as Graham Henry looks to finalise his All Blacks lineup for the upcoming Test series against Ireland and England.

It's important to note that this is not the official lineup, but rather a training camp. This gives those selected a chance to show Henry they have what it takes to represent New Zealand at the highest level - no pressure, lads!

The Canterbury boys, of course, are still on Super 14 duty with the final this Saturday.

Always one to throw us the odd (ha...) curve ball, Henry has selected a few players that are - well - surprising. Among these are locks Kevin O'Neill (Waikato), Anthony Boric (North Harbour), and Tom Donnelly (Otago), who will all be looking to secure the third locking spot. Ali Williams and Brad Thorn, however, will still be the ones to beat. Jason Eaton has been left out of the training squad, which seems quite strange to us. He has some experience at Test level, and can cover on the flanks if needed.

Are you listening, Mr Henry?

Other first timers include Paul Williams (Canterbury), Adam Thomson (Otago), Stephen Donald (Waikato), Richard Kahui (Waikato), Anthony Tuitavake (North Harbour), and Rudi Wolf (North Harbour). All have shown potential throughout the Super 14, and with so many of last years All Blacks now overseas they've got a good shot at playing Test footy this year.

The biggest surprises, though, are those who missed out, with Piri Weepu (Wellington - or should we say, the Warriors? We'd like that, Piri...), Jason Eaton (Taranaki - come on, Graham - are you serious?), Isaia Toeava (Auckland), and Chris Masoe (Wellington - but for how long?) all unwanted by the All Black selectors at this stage.

We say 'at this stage', beacuse you just never know with Henry...

Jaime McIntosh (Southland), Lelia Masaga (Counties Manukau), and Liam Messam (Waikato) are also unlucky to miss out on the training squad, although this doesn't necessarily mean they aren't in contention. We'll say it again - what will you do, Graham?

Without the Crusaders in the mix, it's difficult to say who will make the [actual] All Blacks squad this year. There'll be some selected for the training squad who will miss out when the final team is named this Sunday, but they do have a chance to impress Henry and Co. It will certainly be interesting to see what they can bring to the table...

We would expect Richie McCaw (Canterbury), Dan Carter (Canterbury), Leon MacDonald (Canterbury), Stephen Brett (Canterbury - getting sick of hearing that word, yet?), Ali Williams (Tasman), Brad Thorn (Tasman), and Greg Sommerville (Canterbury - another one for ya...) to all be included in the final All Blacks squad, while Keiran Reid (Canterbury - OK, so it's getting old now...), Scott Hamilton (Canterbury - give it a break, please), and Casey Laulala (Canterbury - last one, we promise) will be looking to perform well this weekend to impress the All Black selectors before the squad is named.

Here's the full Training Squad:

Props: John Afoa (Auckland), John Schwalger (Wellington), Neemia Tialata (Wellington), Tony Woodcock (North Harbour).
Hookers: Andrew Hore (Taranaki), Kevin Mealamu (Auckland).
Locks: Anthony Boric (North Harbour), Tom Donnelly (Otago), Kevin O'Neill (Waikato).
Loose Forwards: Daniel Braid (Auckland), Jerome Kaino (Auckland), Sione Lauaki (Waikato), Rodney So'oialo (Wellington), Adam Thomson (Otago).
Half backs: Jimmy Cown (Southland), Brendon Leonard (Waikato).
First-fives: Stephen Donald (Waikato).
Second-fives: Ma'a Nonu (Wellington).
Centers: Richard Kahui (Waikato), Mils Muliaina (Waikato), Conrad Smith (Wellington).
Wingers: Sitiveni Sivivatu (Waikato), Anthony Tuitavake (North Harbour), Rudi Wolf (North Harbour).
Fullback: Paul Williams (Canterbury).

Whatever happens, we can't wait for the Test season to start.

Watch out, England.