The All Blacks will ask the Wales Rugby Union for permission to observe a minute's silence during the grand slam finale at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday (NZT) as a mark of respect for the victims of the Pike River mining tragedy.

The team will also wear armbands -- possibly white -- as a further indication of their empathy for the plight of the 29 victims, their families and the West Coast community.

It is expected the request will be granted given Wales also has a strong historical connection with coal mining.

The All Blacks held a brief prayer vigil during their regular team meeting last night, hours before learning the miners had perished.

"It's just a terrible, terrible tragedy. You just can't imagine what the families are going through at the moment. All our best wishes and thought and prayers are going to them," All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen said.

"Hopefully we can do something positive for them on Saturday. It's a lot more than a motivating factor, it's just an absolute tragedy and leaves a hollow feeling in your gut."

New Zealand Rugby Union president John Sturgeon, who is accompanying the team, spent 38 years as a miner in Greymouth and was battling to come to terms with the tragedy.

"He's struggling to be fair, he knows a lot of the families and being a miner himself he's at the sharp end of it," Hansen said.

"We're getting round him as best we can."

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