The All Blacks management have unveiled their first squad of the year with five new caps named.

Five new caps are the main feature of a 41-man All Blacks squad named in Auckland on Sunday.

Coach Steve Hansen has called up outside back Nehe Milner-Skudder, lock James Broadhurst, wing Waisake Naholo, first five Lima Sopoaga and hooker Codie Taylor for a squad that will be carried through to the end of the Rugby Championship.

The squad is made up of 22 forwards (three hookers, six props, five locks and seven loose forwards) and 19 backs (three halfbacks, four first five-eighths, five midfielders and seven outside backs) and will again be captained by long serving All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw.

PETER MEECHAM/FAIRFAX NZ All Blacks coach Steve Hansen talks about his first squad of the year in Auckland.

The selection of four hookers and four halfbacks will be a major talking point. Chiefs rake Hika Elliot - back after a serious neck injury threatened to end his career - is joined by young Cantabrian Taylor, who is possibly the only true "bolter" in the squad.

Chiefs halfback Tawera Kerr-Barlow is selected despite sitting out the entire Super Rugby season with a knee injury and only returning to club rugby in the past week.

Milner-Skudder and Naholo are not major surprises after tearing up defences all season, but there will be many who'll consider Crusaders fullback Israel Dagg lucky to remain in the mix. Dagg has hardly played this year due to a calf injury, but makes the squad along with Blues utility Charles Piutau, who had annoyed New Zealand Rugby bosses when he decided to head to Ireland after the World Cup.

Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images Nehe Milner-Skudder's form for the Hurricanes has seen him called up to the All Blacks.

Sopoaga's glittering form for the Highlanders proved impossible to ignore with Hansen picking four first five eighth's alongside Dan Carter, Beauden Barrett, and Colin Slade.

At lock Broadhurst's ball carrying ability in Super Rugby was similarly impossible to ignore and he earns a deserved place alongside his Hurricanes team-mate Jeremy Thrush.

Crusaders openside Matt Todd's consistent form is rewarded with a place among the loose forwards providing specialist back up to McCaw and Sam Cane.

Hansen noted there were some players who could consider themselves "extremely unlucky" and though he didn't name anyone, a number spring to mind.

Taylor's call up will be hard to swallow for workhorse Highlanders rake Liam Coltman, while Hurricanes openside Ardie Savea must also be considered hard done by after a stellar season.

At halfback, Kerr-Barlow leap frogs Chiefs No 9 Brad Weber and Crusaders veteran Andy Ellis. Ellis has been thrown a lifeline, named as an injury cover for Kerr-Barlow, while Crusaders tighthead prop Nepo Laulala is also included as cover for Charlie Faumuina, who is out with a neck injury.

Faumuina is expected to play toward the end of the Rugby Championship.

The other players not considered due to injury were halfback Augustine Pulu, first five-eighth Aaron Cruden, hooker Nathan Harris, loose forward Steven Luatua and lock Patrick Tuipulotu.

The make up of the squad includes 13 Crusaders, 12 Hurricanes, six Chiefs, five Blues and four Highlanders, while 11 ITM Cup sides and a Heartland Championship province are represented, led by Canterbury (13 players) with Wellington (eight); Auckland (five), Taranaki (three), Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Hawke's Bay and Manawatu (two each); and North Harbour, Southland, Counties Manukau, Otago and Poverty Bay (one each).

Hansen will need to cull the squad to 31 for the World Cup and said the larger numbers were partly due to "necessity" because the Highlanders and Hurricanes remained active in Super Rugby.

"But, more importantly, it also gives us the chance to work with some athletes we haven't worked with before and see how they cope at test level. This will allow us to make better decisions when it comes to selecting our Rugby World Cup team in August. I would like to thank New Zealand Rugby and the Board for allowing us to pick a squad of this size."

The "immediate focus" would be preparing for the historic Samoan Test in Apia on 8 July.

"We are looking forward to taking on that particular challenge and we know it will be a passionate Samoan side and a pretty special occasion."

Hansen confirmed the team to play Samoa would not include any players from any New Zealand teams which made it to the Super Rugby final.

The All Blacks squad will assemble on Auckland's North Shore on Wednesday this week for a three-day camp minus the 18 players from the Hurricanes and Highlanders, who will be preparing for this weekend's Super Rugby semifinals.

Following that camp, the All Blacks will re-assemble in Auckland on Wednesday 1 July to prepare for the test against Samoa.

ALL BLACKS SQUAD

Hookers

Dane Coles - Hurricanes / Wellington (27)

Hikawera Elliot - Chiefs / Poverty Bay (3)

Keven Mealamu - Blues / Auckland (123)

Codie Taylor - Crusaders / Canterbury *

Props

Wyatt Crockett - Crusaders / Canterbury (27)

Charlie Faumuina - Blues / Auckland (20)

Ben Franks - Hurricanes / Hawke's Bay (31)

Owen Franks - Crusaders / Canterbury (57)

Joe Moody - Crusaders / Canterbury (8)

Tony Woodcock - Blues /North Harbour (110)

Locks

James Broadhurst - Hurricanes / Taranaki *

Brodie Retallick - Chiefs / Bay of Plenty (36)

Luke Romano - Crusaders / Canterbury (17)

Jeremy Thrush - Hurricanes / Wellington (11)

Sam Whitelock - Crusaders / Canterbury (62)

Loose forwards

Sam Cane - Chiefs / Bay of Plenty (22)

Jerome Kaino - Blues /Auckland (56)

Richie McCaw (captain) - Crusaders / Canterbury (137)

Liam Messam - Chiefs / Waikato (40)

Kieran Read - Crusaders / Canterbury (72)

Matt Todd - Crusaders / Canterbury (2)

Victor Vito - Hurricanes / Wellington (26)

Halfbacks

Tawera Kerr-Barlow - Chiefs / Waikato (15)

TJ Perenara - Hurricanes / Wellington (11)

Aaron Smith - Highlanders / Manawatu (38)

First five-eighths

Beauden Barrett - Hurricanes / Taranaki (28)

Dan Carter - Crusaders / Canterbury (102)

Colin Slade - Crusaders /Canterbury (17)

Lima Sopoaga - Highlanders / Southland *

Midfielders

Ryan Crotty - Crusaders / Canterbury (13)

Malakai Fekitoa - Highlanders / Auckland (8)

Ma'a Nonu - Hurricanes / Wellington (94)

Conrad Smith - Hurricanes / Wellington (85)

Sonny Bill Williams - Chiefs / Counties Manukau (23)

Outside backs

Israel Dagg - Crusaders /Hawke's Bay (46)

Cory Jane - Hurricanes / Wellington (48)

Nehe Milner-Skudder - Hurricanes / Manawatu *

Waisake Naholo - Highlanders / Taranaki *

Charles Piutau - Blues /Auckland (14)

Julian Savea - Hurricanes / Wellington (33)

Ben Smith - Highlanders / Otago (38)

