The coaching staff don't doubt he'll come right physically and be the player he's always been. Photo / Getty Images
The coaching staff don't doubt he'll come right physically and be the player he's always been. Photo / Getty Images
The All Blacks have 10 tests before they head to England to defend the World Cup. Gregor Paul of the Herald on Sunday looks at what they need to achieve.

1 Get Carter

The options at first-five are building for the All Blacks. They have a world class operator in Aaron Cruden, an emerging force in Beauden Barrett and a handy enough emergency choice in Colin Slade. But the one they want most is a fully fit Daniel Carter and the clock is ticking on that front.
Carter is only a maybe to actually play on the tour and that's a concern - not for his individual form. The coaching staff don't doubt he'll come right physically and be the player he's always been.
But they want him to be back in the groove of running the All Black game plan. They need him to be familiar with the overall strategies and comfortable calling the shots.
If he can't play on the tour, he'll be down to five tests next year to familiarise himself and to a lesser extent, have his teammates get used to him.

2 Drive through

You don't need to be Nostradamus to see that on the softer grounds of England and with the pressure of knock-out rugby, the driving maul is going to be a big part of next year's World Cup.
The English, French and South Africans love a bit of mauling and would back themselves to score nine times out 10 from a short-range attacking lineout.
That's where the All Blacks need to get to. When they played Australia at Eden Park, they scored two identical tries from driving mauls. But that was against Australia. They need to become that effective against top quality packs.

3 Clash of the titans

On one level the All Blacks will relish having access to Sonny Bill Williams and Ma'a Nonu. But they are big personalities and it may not be easy to balance their game time and keep them both happy. Nonu has been an All Black regular since 2008 and given his soul to the team.
He was hurt in 2010 when he was dropped for the final game of the year. He'd done so much while Williams had barely been around for five minutes. How would Nonu feel if history repeats?Or, what if Williams can't force his way into the No 12 jersey and spends another World Cup on the periphery as he did in 2011? Can they play as a combination?
And how are expectations going to be managed? Both players need to fully understand and be happy with their role by the time the World Cup starts.

4 Hooked in

Third choice hooker Nathan Harris needs to be nudged along his development path. The All Blacks can't afford to go to England next year with Harris having played just eight minutes of test football. Not when Mealamu is turning 36 and his calf has such a recent chequered history. The games against USA, Scotland and Samoa are ideal to get Harris back on the track and used to throwing into a test lineout.

5 Can they kick it?

The All Black kicking game is in need of a major rejuvenation. From being such a strength in 2013, it has been relatively poor in 2014. Some of that may be fixed with the return of Carter but across the backline, a general improvement in execution and imagination are required.

6 Polish the rough diamond

The All Blacks are one team when Aaron Smith plays - and probably another when he doesn't. We can't be certain because Smith tends to play almost 80 minutes every test.
The next option is TJ Perenara and while he's a superb athlete, he's loose and erratic.
Perenara has 10 games to lose the rough edges and become the sort of player everyone would trust to play out the last 20 minutes of a knock out World Cup game.

7 The dominators

It doesn't always follow that a team coming into the tournament on the back of impressive form will win. The All Blacks proved that in 2011 when they opened the event on the back of consecutive losses. Still, it would be preferable if the All Blacks can win their next 10 and establish they are absolutely the most dominant side in world rugby.
Most of the serious contenders to have an inferiority complex when it comes to the All Blacks. The All Blacks will be keen to beat England in a few weeks at Twickenham and then South Africa in July next year. These two are the respective biggest threat.

8 Champagne Charlie

There's no question in comparison with Owen Franks, Charlie Faumuina is the more natural athlete and ball player. But he has to be fit. He has to be capable of getting the best out of himself.
The All Black game plan needs the props to be contributing beyond the set-piece. Franks has stagnated a little in that regard and wins his jersey mostly on account of his experience and scrummaging prowess. If Faumuina can improve his conditioning in November, throughout summer and Super Rugby, he could become the better option.

9 Big calls

The team has a core of senior players, many if not most of whom are not going to be All Blacks in 2016. On that list are most likely Mealamu, Richie McCaw, Carter, Nonu and Conrad Smith and maybe a couple of others. Whether they are planning to retire, shift overseas or even, unlikely, hang on in New Zealand for more - they need to sort their plans out declare their intentions long before the All Blacks play their first test next year against Samoa on July 8.

10 Keep something back

The big picture for the All Blacks won't change over the next 10 tests. Hansen's vision has been to create a triple threat game so as the All Blacks have the option of running, passing or kicking to exploit the space. Where they can add an element of surprise is in the detail. They should hold some specific set plays back for the World Cup. It was, after all, a rehearsed lineout move that created their only try in the 2011 World Cup final.

THE BIG 10

• October 18 v Australia (Brisbane)
• November 1 v USA (Chicago)
• November 8 v England (London)
• November 15 v Scotland (Edinburgh)
• November 22 v Wales (Cardiff)
• July 8 v Samoa (Apia)
• July 17 v Argentina (Christchurch)
• July 25 v South Africa (South Africa [TBD])
• August 8 v Australia (Sydney)
• August 15 v Australia (Auckland)
- NZ Herald