Lock forward Ian Jones will get a chance to add to his 77 Test caps after being named yesterday in New Zealand coach John Hart's final All Black squad of 30 for the World Cup.
Jones had been out of the frame after an ordinary Super 12 series. But Saturday's 28-7 loss to Australia in the Bledisloe Cup and TriNations match in Sydney pointed to a lack of depth in the locking department when Norm Maxwell had to be replaced by prop Craig Dowd after he was injured.
With the loss of the towering Norm Maxwell, the All Blacks' lineout options were severely depleted. The experienced Jones was an obvious option for the selectors.
The only new All Black is Waikato scrumhalf Rhys Duggan, who followed up a solid Super 12 with the Chiefs with some fine displays for Ranfurly Shield holders Waikato in the NPC.
Auckland fly-half Carlos Spencer was also added to the squad from the 26 who travelled to Sydney for the Wallaby game on Saturday. He will be the third-choice fly-half after Andrew Mehrtens and Tony Brown, but can also play at inside centre.
Coach Hart said Saturday's loss to Australia did not change the makeup of the squad much, although he said his selection panel had gone "relentlessly back over all the procedures".
Meanwhile, John Eales was yesterday named as Australia's captain for next month's competition, despite missing the entire international season through injury.
Eales, one of just four surviving players from the Australian team that won the 1991 World Cup, was appointed to lead the 30-man squad after passing a fitness test.
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