There will be, however, a few areas in which the selectors might have to toss a couple of names to and fro before settling on their final choice.
The forwards' mix will be reasonably clear-cut, apart from hooker where Dane Coles will put a lot of pressure on veteran Keven Mealamu, and, in the backs, Aaron Cruden and Beauden Barrett are close and getting closer in Dan Carter's absence. On the right wing, Ben Smith and Cory Jane are likely to be fighting it out.
Much will rest on this weekend's final Super Rugby round before next Saturday's first test against England at Eden Park. Injuries will obviously play a big part in the final selections, but there is still room for form to have a say, particularly at No10.
Here are the areas where we think the selectors will be spending most of their time.
Hooker: Keven Mealamu v Dane Coles
With Andrew Hore off the scene, the battle for the No2 jersey is between Mealamu, a veteran of 110 tests, and Coles, a relative Johnny-come-lately in comparison with 15 caps. Mealamu, 35, is nearing the end of his career but is as hard-working and reliable as ever. There is a feeling, however, that Coles, 27, has just about overtaken him. The Hurricanes player has filed some of the rough edges off his game and has brought a new consistency to go with his dynamism. He is likely to be the No1 All Blacks hooker at next year's World Cup and could consign Mealamu to a back-up role in this England series.
First-five: Aaron Cruden v Beauden Barrett
This is the big one, and much will rest on how they perform in tonight's matches for their respective teams. Incumbent Cruden has played only 30 minutes of rugby for the Chiefs in the past seven weeks before tonight's match against the Waratahs at Yarrow Stadium. Barrett, on the other hand, has been a consistently high performer for the Hurricanes and if he rips the Blues apart at Eden Park like he did the Chiefs last weekend, he could get the nod to start. Cruden is seen as the perfect starting No10, Barrett the ideal impact player. At some stage, though, the selectors will want the Taranaki man to start a test.
Right wing: Ben Smith v Cory Jane
Due to his irresistible form for the Highlanders, the selectors will want Ben Smith on the field somewhere for the first test, injury permitting. Cory Jane has also started to show some of his old form after struggling to make the starting line-up for the Hurricanes earlier in the season. However, his injury lay-off last year allowed others to close the gap on him and both Smith and the now-injured Charles Piutau took their chances. Israel Dagg is likely to retain his fullback position, so Smith could edge it for the No14 jersey. He provides everything Jane does and more - ability under the high ball, work-rate and a slipperiness when carrying the ball which is almost unparalleled.
