In from the cold to the heat of battle

TWO weeks ago, with the All Blacks due to fly out for Cardiff the next morning, Nick Evans was resigned to spending the month back home on the Otago Peninsula engulfed in his other great sporting love, fishing.

Though Graham Henry had named a bulging 35-man panel for the trip, there was no place for the 25-year-old out-half, who found himself behind Daniel Carter and Luke McAlister in the queue at number 10.

It must have been a bitter blow to the Takapuna man, who had earned four caps last year from his previous position at full-back and who had since changed his position and indeed his province, partly on the advice of Henry and his All Black assistants.