The All Blacks are a team in limbo. No other country in world rugby has lost so many of its first and second-choice players as New Zealand did in 2007.

There was Carl Hayman, Aaron Mauger, Luke McAlister, Anton Oliver, Chris Jack, Jerry Collins, Keith Robinson, Byron Kelleher and Doug Howlett - all starting wearers of the famed black jersey. This constitutes a shopping list that any club in Europe would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for.

Add to this Rico Gear, Josh Blackie, Sam Tuitupou and Clarke Dermody, who are all international fringe players, and the crisis - it would be remiss to call it anything else - seems evident.

Now add the names Reuben Thorne, Troy Flavell and Nick Evans to the list, along with an increased risk that discarded internationals such as Chris Masoe and Piri Weepu are also investigating their options. The above names would constitute an All Black team that would be difficult to defeat and would be stronger than nearly all other international squads.

Of course, this really began at the end of 2006 with New Zealand captain and probably their most influential player, the near-legendary Tana Umaga. His exit proved that even a team which exhibits incredible depth cannot simply replace their rugby icons.

His following "sabbatical"-style contract with Toulon showed too many players in New Zealand the money that could be earned off-shore. For all of the positives that All Black dominance wielded in their glory years of 2005 and 2006, the glaring negative was that the bulging coffers of the European game eyed an All Black as the ultimate prize for a team.

South Africa and Australia have not yet felt the full force of this. With the Springboks regarded as the best in the world - as long as they can maintain their championship momentum - there is now the risk that South African rugby may be fatally weakened. However, their open selection policy could act as a safeguard for this.

It is likely that other New Zealand players may follow in the next year or two, but the worst is now probably over. The two highest-profile players in New Zealand rugby, Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter - sabbaticals aside - have now committed themselves to the New Zealand game. Rodney So’oialo, Neemia Tialata and Mils Muliaina have openly stated their desire to continue plying their trade in New Zealand. Such precedents will likely cause other players to follow suit.

Another question that must be asked is: Will this All Black exodus also harm the European nations? In football, there is a common cry from fans, pundits and even the game's governing body that the influx of foreign players into the English game is directly affecting the quality of the national side. Maybe the same could happen in rugby.

Young English or French players need exposure at the top level domestically before entry into the international team. These players are not as likely to get that exposure as most coaches would select a former top-level All Black rather than an up-and-coming homegrown youngster.

There is no question it is going to weaken the All Blacks. No nation, not even the famed depth of New Zealand, can lose the quality or quantity of players they have and not feel it. There is no doubt that the 2008 hybrid of the New Zealand international team is not littered with depth like it was last year - but it would still be a BIG mistake to write them off.

Graham Henry has shown he has his flaws as an international coach, but he also has clear strengths, reflected in his Test record which is unequalled by any other coach in modern rugby history.

While rotation was to blame to some degree for the death of the All Blacks' World Cup tilt last year, it must be exercised at some point in the near future. As powerful as the country's glamour team is, for the first time in years the nation’s second team - the New Zealand Maoris - only has three players who have worn the cherished black jersey.

Fringe players must be given international exposure and depth must be maintained. But, above all else, the winning culture of New Zealand rugby must be maintained. This winning culture has to come across not only from the coach, but also from the governing body, the NZRU.

Optimism towards the national team is at its lowest point in years, but the talent is still there and, of course, overseas players may come back. For now the All Blacks are slightly weaker, like a lion with an unnoticeable limp - but that's still a very dangerous animal.

As long as hierarchical decisions are wise - which is far from a guarantee - the All Blacks will be hard to beat on home soil in the run-up to their attempt to win the elusive World Cup in 2011.