New Zealand coach Graham Henry has cited the need to rest some players, while giving others the chance to press for rugby World Cup selection, as reasons for the make-up of the All Black squad to travel to South Africa.

A number of key players, including skipper Richie McCaw, Daniel Carter, Kieran Read, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Mils Muliaina and Conrad Smith, have been left out of a 25-man squad for the Tri-Nations Test in Port Elizabeth next weekend.

With McCaw staying home, 84-test hooker Keven Mealamu will captain the side for only the second time.

Despite the absentees, Henry said the squad was a strong one that had expectations of playing well and winning.

He said it was a case of managing some players, such as those from the Crusaders, who had already travelled to London and twice to South Africa during a longer Super 15 campaign.

It was also about giving others, such as fullback Israel Dagg and centre Richard Kahui, game time after coming back from injury.

"Some players who have travelled a lot are not going," Henry said.

"Some players who haven't played a lot are playing, so we're trying to give players an opportunity.

"I think that's very important. We'll be going into the biggest tournament these guys are ever likely to play in, and they want the opportunity of playing in it and playing in it well."

Henry said that, before the test against Fiji last month, the selectors spoke to many of those not heading to South Africa to outline what was being planned.

"We didn't get much of an argument."

One person they didn't talk to was centre Smith, who Henry said hadn't had a lot of football and would probably have liked to have been on the plane.

However, Kahui needed to have match play to put his hand up for World Cup selection.

With Carter not travelling, Colin Slade will get his first start against major opposition in what will be his fifth test.

"It's a great opportunity for Colin," Henry said.

"He has to run the team at some stage. He could well have to do that in a rugby World Cup final, who knows, so we just have to give him that experience."

Henry deflected questions about any similarities between the All Blacks' leaving so much experience at home and the absence of 21 frontline players from the Springbok tour party to Australia and New Zealand, reportedly because of injury.

"We didn't look at South Africa and say, they sent a B team, we will send a reduced strength side to South Africa - not part of the thought process at all," he said.

"We're just doing what we think is the best thing for this team right now."

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