When a break means a break

Mental fatigue from a long and intense season is causing concern for the New Zealand squad before their tour of Britain, according to team doctor John Mayhew.

The 36-man contingent, who will play two Tests in England and one each against Ireland and Wales in November and December, will be named on Monday.

But the tour comes at the end of an arduous season for them and Mayhew said: "There is concern because some players are worse off than others.

"It is getting to the stage where we've had players who have been relieved to be injured just so they can get a break. Not that they want to be injured, but mentally, they just need to get away for a while."

Mayhew said Auckland, who contributed 11 players to the All Blacks for their eight Tests from June to September, are one of the worst affected sides in the National Provincial Championships because of the intensity and length of the season.

"They went through the Super 12, played and won the Super 12 final, then had a lot of players in the All Blacks, and now they're having to play in a tough NPC competition," he said.

"There have also been a lot of injuries, but thankfully, some of the others have had a break.

"Players like Sean Fitzpatrick have had time off, but this was due to that knee surgery which kept him out for a few weeks.

"Zinzan Brooke also had a little bit of a break and thankfully for a lot of players, who won't be in the semi-finals and finals of the NPC after this weekend, they'll be able to get around three weeks off."

Mayhew said All Blacks coach John Hart is aware of the strain on his leading players and is doing all he can to ensure the tourists will be refreshed by the time they arrive in Britain.

Mayhew is relieved the Test squad will not be put in such a stressful position again, leading into the 1999 World Cup.

"Next year, I think we only have seven Tests and no end-of-year tour, and that will make it more bearable for the players," he said.