Given he was being spoon fed by a former Italian supermodel the previous night, Anthony Boric was full of the joys of life at the All Blacks' hotel on Thursday.

The photo was everywhere; Boric looking slightly bemused but hardly protesting as Natasha Stefanenko, host of the Italy's Next Top Model television show, offered her assistance during a cooking segment with the All Blacks as guests.

Of all the bizarre preparations for a Test match three days later, Boric admitted it was up there. But he wasn't complaining. At all.

"It was a great night, eh. It wasn't the worst promo," he beamed.

Boric was unsure of the selection policy which saw he, Andrew Hore, Andy Ellis, Ma'a Nonu and Mils Muliaina summoned to the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise promotion along with the final six models in the TV show and a horde of eager photographers.

"They were pretty nice, most of them spoke English and they were pretty friendly.

"Obviously there's a lot of distractions floating around so it's pretty important to try and switch on and start thinking about rugby now."

It's been that way in Milan this week. Dan Carter mobbed at an Adidas function along with teammates Luke McAlister, Zac Guildford and Jimmy Cowan; then a big turnout for the team's open training on Wednesday which saw fans of all ages flock to the historic Arena Civico for a signing session.

It left the All Blacks crystal clear on how big they are in Europe, added to the fact that a sellout of 80,018 will watch them at soccer stronghold San Siro on Sunday (AEDT).

For 25-year-old Boric it's a chance to re-establish himself in the intriguing race to be Brad Thorn's locking partner in the big test of the tour, against France in Marseille on November 28.

He, Tom Donnelly and Jason Eaton are in a tight battle for that spot in the top lineup.

Boric hasn't featured at all for the All Blacks in 2009 due to a broken toe after an impressive 10 Tests in his debut season last year.

"I've had a lot of time thinking about it. Hopefully I can do the business. It took a long time and it was pretty frustrating," he said.

His return for North Harbour was encouraging in the Air NZ Cup but now the 2m-tall, 110kg giant has to back it up in black against a tough South African-raised locking duo of Quintin Geldenhuys and Carlo Antonio Del Fava.

"There's a lot to prove and a chance to push for a permanent position for a lot of players. There's a lot to play for a few guys making their debuts, so it's a big day for everyone.

"It's a selection tour and they've put a lot of faith in us and there's a lot of changes, so it's time to really deliver."

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