“A lot of work goes into picking the team and getting ready to play Test matches,” Hansen said.

“The best part is actually having the team and starting to work with them.

“Your thoughts around players start to unfold, and you see whether you are right or you are wrong (in picking them).”

With Investec Super Rugby still in season, Hansen confirmed that any selected players who may feature in the Super Rugby Final will not take part in the Apia Test.

One thing was clear, however, and that is everyone will get their chance throughout the first part of the season.

“It wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t give them all an opportunity to play at some stage,” Hansen, who has a 38-2-2 record heading into 2015, said.

“There’s some pretty tough decisions to be made.

“There’s a group of players that have been injured and haven’t played a lot. The back three is probably the most contested area of the team at the moment.

“It’s not about trying to put people under pressure or give them a message.

“These are the guys we see are in contention and now we’ll see who comes through.”

However, Hansen said some new faces would not be rushed into action, notably the two exciting prospects who further crowd the selection queue at the back.

“(Nehe) Milner-Skudder and Waisake (Naholo) have played a lot of rugby,” Hansen said.

“Early on that will maybe give us the opportunity to play the older guys and once they’ve had a go, the others will have freshened up and will be used to our environment.

“(We want them to) understand what we’re doing so you can send them out with real clarity.”

The final 31-strong group of players for the 2015 Rugby World Cup will be selected at the end of August.