All Black workload worries before S14

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Graham Henry will appeal to the Super 14 coaches this week to sensibly manage the workloads of the country's top players.

At end of a marathon season the All Blacks coach said it was increasingly important in the modern game that players were not ground into the ground.

The issue will be discussed with the Super 14 coaches in Wellington this Friday.

"We will be talking about the players. Making sure they have all the information that we've acquired on this tour about those players and trying to assist them in their development so we are all on the same page about what they require," Henry said.

"It might not be all about physical conditions, or skills or mental skills, it might be how much rugby they play.

"Can we keep them to a high level with the amount of rugby they play or do they need a bit of space from time to time and can we agree on how best to do that."

Henry stressed he was not going to demand rest periods and did not want to see any players taken out of the Super 14.

"They're not going to be a month out of the game, but a guy might play for three weeks and he needs a break for a week, so he gets out of the environment and gets away.

"Otherwise they are going to be playing rugby 10 months a year for the next two years and they will be buggered. They are buggered now."

Many of the top All Blacks were clearly mentally fatigued by the end of the squad's six week end of year tour.

They will face another gruelling season next year with the World Cup to follow in 2011.

But Henry said player workloads were a long term problem that needed to be addressed for the better of the game.

"It's not about the World Cup, it's about these guys continuing their careers at a high level and increasing their longevity."

- © Fairfax NZ News