Smith to reveal All Black squad on Sunday
by Huw Turner
June 9, 2001

All Black coach Wayne Smith will name his 22 man squad to play Manu Samoa at Albany Stadium on Saturday 16th June in Wellington on Sunday morning.

His 30 man training squad , under the captaincy of Otago's Anton Oliver, spent most of last week at the Adidas Insitute of Rugby in Palmerston North. Six of that squad - Roger Randle Randle, Ron Cribb, Norm Maxwell, Mark Cooksley, Taine Randell and Troy Flavell left the camp to join the Maori team preparing for Saturday evening's clash against the Wallabies in Sydney, and Smith will be watching that game with particular interest.

A calf muscle injury has forced Cribb's late withdrawal from that match, although his likely participation in the Samoa test is not thought to be under threat. In such an intense encounter, however, the All Black management will hope that their squad members come through unscathed. Knee surgery has already ruled fullback Christian Cullen out of the first three tests of the season, although it is hoped he will be fit to resume his place for the Tri Nations series, which starts at the end of July.

Smith and his fellow selectors, assistant coach Tony Gilbert and Peter Thorburn , have the task of omitting a further six players from their original 30, with the starting XV due to be announced from their Takupuna headquarters, on Auckland's North Shore, on Wednesday evening.

Sunday's announcement of the squad will be posted on Sunday as soon as it happens.

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