All Blacks coach Graham Henry has concluded a two-day meeting with local Super Rugby coaches at the Rugby Union headquarters in Wellington with player welfare and rest the main themes.
Next year's World Cup follows the expanded Super Rugby competition and nine frontline All Blacks are already sitting out the rest of the provincial rugby competition, frustrating ITM Cup coaches deprived of star players but just prudent for All Blacks coach Graham Henry.
Henry says it's sensible to ensure that players who've played a huge amount of rugby through the Super 14 and Test seasons can handle the demands of the rest of the year and next season
Henry says Canterbury lock Sam Whitelock's the exception among those more experienced All Blacks sitting out the provincial championship as a younger squad player who's been more heavily involved than expected and he needs some time off.
