It was a relieved All Blacks centre Mark Ranby who was up and galloping around the Bush sports ground at Pahiatua on Wednesday.

He was glad to be involved virtually for the first time in three weeks after suffering a strain in his pelvic area playing against Samoa and aggravating it when he returned to Hamilton.

He had to stay off the practice ground for the first two days of the All Blacks' camp at the Institute of Rugby at Massey University this week.

"The frustrating thing is that I haven't been able to train," he said. Ranby got through Wednesday's practise in front of more than 1000
people who'd come from as far afield as Waipukurau in southern Hawke's Bay to watch the All Blacks train.

Ranby had a hernia operation in 1998 and said the current injury was possibly related to that.

Hooker Mark Hammett, who has a bruise to an ankle bone but could play against South Africa in Cape Town on July 21 in the opening Tri-Nations Test of the year if it was necessary, and prop Carl Hayman, were the only two players not to practise.

Coach Wayne Smith confirmed all 26 players would travel to South Africa Thursday for the Test against the Springboks.

It now transpires that the blood poisoning suffered by Hayman was more serious than initially realised.

The scratch on the knee received in the Test against France on June 30 ballooned up to the size of a hand. It had to be lanced when he was in Palmerston North Hospital on Monday night to release the infected fluid.

He was well enough to spend 40 minutes in the gym on Wednesday.

Smith said Wednesday's opposed practise was used to simulate a game over 70 minutes without a break. "We have had a compressed week together."

The possible All Blacks Test backline operated on Wednesday, including Andrew Mehrtens at flyhalf. Tony Brown played there in the last Test against France. - Sapa-NZPA