The All Blacks coach Graham Henry has revealed he plans to rest his "overdone" players during the Tri-Nations series.
Henry says only effective management of the players' workload could keep alive the All Blacks' hopes of winning the World Cup, and he's highlighted the physical and emotional drain on the leading Crusaders players who couldn't be expected to maintain that level of intensity for the next three months.
Henry says it's going to be a major challenge bringing players down then back up again for the World Cup.
The All Black coach's comments follow those of his South African counterpart Peter De Villiers, who said leading Springbok players were physical wrecks after the Super Rugby season which is why he chose to rest 21 of them for the opening two Tri-Series matches.
