So these are the men we must trust to bring home that elusive piece of silverware.
Let's be frank - this may be the Tri-Nations squad but someone will have to be play pretty damn poorly to put themselves out of the reckoning to chase the big prize in a couple of months.
They would have to do something like not throw the ball in straight in nearly every lineout or, as a halfback, kick the ball away endlessly in a crunch game. Sorry already happened and those two still made it.
The plus side in this team is that these players selected are tried and true. There are none of those flighty, inconsistent players which New Zealand rugby produces: the Stephen Bretts, Aled de Malmanches and Luke McAlisters of this world.
Henry and co have picked the ones they know and trust and simply are not prepared to gamble on what-could-bes. Few could argue with them.
Four years ago Brendon Leonard came from nowhere to make the World Cup squad but never really convinced then and has not since.
The likes of Matt Todd, Ben Afeaki and Luke Braid have played well in patches this season but over the long Super 15 season the cream of the players has risen to the top.
Maybe that is the upside of a lengthy season.
Average players can no longer make the cut as their sheer averageness is fully exposed over 16 plus games.
So who was lucky ?Colin Slade somehow got better by not playing. Every week he was on the sideline because of his broken jaws, he improved.
Or rather, his rivals got worse.
Zac Guildford is also back in the mix but there must still be questions over his ball possession and how many tricks he has in his bag.
Isaia Toeava falls somewhat into the Slade territory although he has always had a bit of a charmed life when wearing the black jersey.
And would Andy Ellis be in the picture if he played behind the Chiefs eight ?Up front there can be few arguments, though Corey Flynn seemed to benefit by wearing the right-coloured jersey, and being surrounded by quality players.
Any more replays of his Suncorp Stadium shocker in the next month and he may walk the plank.
Jarrad Hoeata's promotion is well deserved and his ability to hit rucks and take no prisoners was always going to go down well at All Blacks headquarters.
He is also more than adequate at lineout time and gets round the paddock.
So who was unlucky ?Plenty.
Ben Smith, Victor Vito, Sean Maitland, Hika Elliot, Tanuera Latimer, Cory Jane, Robbie Fruean, Tom Donnelly, Josh Bekhuis - it is a lengthy list.
Elliot especially must feel particularly hard done by as he was top notch on the All Black tour last year and he did little wrong this season.
But this is test rugby, a real step-up from Super 15. Players have to be of absolute quality and be consistent.
That is the key - to be good, consistently. Plenty of candidates have been good but not for a long enough period of time. So now it is on to business.
First assignment, a warm-up against Fiji, then the Tri-Nations.
In 1999, 2003 and 2007 the All Blacks won the Tri-Nations. What happened next? Suffice to say a loss or two in the next couple of months should not be too worrying.
