The coaches take it as a given every player selected will have the intrinsic desire, awareness and skills to keep themselves in appropriate physical condition.
It's a high-performance environment and players have access to the best nutrition and advice. They have no choice but to spend much of their time training as a group. Outside of those team sessions, they have access to the best training facilities and advice.
To end up not fit enough takes some doing and Faumuina now has to determine how much he wants to be an All Black.
"He's well aware of what he has to do and knows why he's not in the team," Steve Hansen said.
For things to have reached this point, they must be quite bad.
Players don't suddenly find out they aren't considered fit enough. The All Blacks management are constantly monitoring, constantly talking to players.
No one in the squad is ever unsure of expectations and Faumuina's work has slipped in the past month.
Hansen doesn't want a player as good as Faumuina to disappear from the All Blacks. Since his debut in 2012, he had slowly gathered momentum.
He's a more natural ball player than Owen Franks. He's a better raw athlete in that he covers the ground quicker - or can do when he's fit - and is more agile and dynamic in the tackled ball area. The All Blacks like Faumuina's impact off the bench.
- By Gregor Paul of the Herald on Sunday
