HAPPY GO LUCKY: Prop Jeffery Toomaga-Allen enjoys a light-hearted moment at Wellington training last week. He was smiling again yesterday after being called into the All Blacks for their end of year tour.

Jeffery Toomaga-Allen had a fair bit on his plate yesterday and not just because of the emotional roller-coaster he hopped on when his phone buzzed at 8am.

After a night of mourning Wellington's NPC final loss to Canterbury, the 22-year-old's long held dream came true when he was called up to the All Blacks on the eve of their end-of-year tour.

It started a hectic few hours for the Marist St Pats prop, whose first thoughts were how to tell wife Margaret that their planned trip to Thailand was about to be delayed.

"I was pretty excited, but then I thought, 'oh no, what's my wife going to think' because we already had plans," he said yesterday after joining the All Blacks squad in Auckland.

"We're working things out, she's pretty happy for me."

The couple had precious little time to celebrate and within a few hours Toomaga-Allen was being measured up by an Auckland tailor.

"They rang me, told me the haps and then I was out the door at 11am this morning to Auckland," he said.

"I got here, got the run down and I'm off to Japan tomorrow. We went straight from the airport to get fitted up for my suit and then picked up all the gear and I started packing again."

The excitement of his call-up, five months after a knee injury ruled him out of an All Black training camp, came less than 24 hours after a heart-wrenching 29-13 loss to Canterbury.

"I'm still getting over the disappointment of last night, so it is a bit weird being here with the [Canterbury] boys I played against and being in the same environment, but you have to get past that and see the silver lining," he said.

His callup came at the expense of Canterbury's Joe Moody who was ruled out with a broken leg suffered during Saturday night's NPC final.

"It's a window for me and I have to take it with both hands," Toomaga-Allen said.

"After hurting my knee [in May] I just thought I have to come back faster, stronger, better. I feel like my hard work has paid off."

But it has also just begun with the selectors naming him as a loosehead, the opposite side to where he's played for Wellington and the Hurricanes.

"It's a little bit of a shock, but it will be fine. I've had a bit of training there, so hopefully I can make the switch and the older guys here will help me out. I've already had a bit of a talk to Woody [Tony Woodcock]."

The All Blacks selectors are clearly looking to blood a younger loosehead alongside aging incumbents Woodcock (32) and Wyatt Crockett (30).

Toomaga-Allen will be a popular selection around Wellington where he his infectious optimism has been a feature since he was signed by the Hurricanes in 2011 not long out of Wellington College.

He is the first All Black out of the Marist St Pats club since Wellington captain Victor Vito was first selected in 2010, the twelfth overall, and first prop since Brian McGrattan in the 1980s.