Veteran prop Franks omitted from All Blacks World Cup squad

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Steve Hansen has cut 108-test veteran prop Owen Franks and gambled on the age and fitness of other players in naming a 31-man All Blacks squad which will attempt to win the Rugby World Cup for the third consecutive time.

While the squad announced Wednesday has an average age of 28 — equivalent to the squads that won the Webb Ellis Trophy in 2011 and 2015 — Hansen’s first-choice lineup, led by 33-year-old captain Kieran Read, is considerably older.

Hansen’s main gamble with injury is the selection of lock Brodie Retallick, who has been sidelined since the Rugby Championship with a severe shoulder injury. His gambles on age include the selections of fullback Ben Smith at 33 and center Sonny Bill Williams, who will play his third World Cup at 34.

Hansen has chosen not to select blindside flanker Liam Squire, who ruled himself out of the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup series because of fitness concerns but made himself available for the World Cup after playing in the National Provincial Championship.

The omission of the 31-year-old Franks, a veteran of two previous World Cup campaigns, is the major surprise in the squad announcement, along with the call-up of 22-year-old loose forward Luke Jacobson who has played only one test and takes Squire’s place.

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