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Only a month from now, the first All Black squad chosen by Steve Hansen, Ian Foster and Grant Fox will be revealed.

Confidence is a precious yet fragile sporting commodity.

When All Black prop Tony Woodcock eyed the scrum contest with the Sharks he figured he and his Blues buddies would be embroiled in a battle royal with the du Plessis brothers.

The inter-island match has not been played since professional rugby began, but plans remain to reinstate the match in June in Dunedin.

The buck stops with the board, and they are backing Lam.

Mark down Smith and Smith because they should be in the All Black notebooks. They are not a southern legal firm but two Highlanders who dealt out rugby justice last night in Invercargill to the Rebel invaders.

Andy Dalton yesterday backed Blues coach Pat Lam, despite the side slipping to a 50 percent winning record as a berth in the Super 15 playoffs moves further away towards the horizon.

Even experienced rugby players like Jerome Kaino feel the extra bite when they visit the Bulls' home cauldron.

It was hard to ignore the look on Jimmy Cowan's face. As the All Black halfback sat on the bench throughout the Highlanders' rousing victory against the Crusaders on Saturday, it was as though he was peering into the future. He would not have liked the signs.

Class under fire. It is a precious commodity which the Reds and Crusaders showed as the Super 15 re-entered our sporting landscape.

In the blink of one round of Super 15, franchise neighbours the Blues and Chiefs face a Friday night funk in Hamilton.

Favouritism against France at a World Cup. It is a familiar feeling for the All Blacks but not one which sits comfortably with the squad and certainly not the coaches.

The All Blacks have delivered an early warning for their Wallaby loose forward foes.

Israel Dagg should be fullback against Canada on Sunday.

He had to change. It has been a battle and there have been times when Piri Weepu has sulked about footy and life.

It's not often Daniel Carter waits for questions. Especially with the foreign media in the room.

Rotation is a murky subject in All Black discussions, but the Wallabies are comfortable with the concept.

Dear Graham, How about picking the best All Black team to play Japan on Friday. Not your "best-team-for-this-match'' theory but the form XV in your squad.