Former All Blacks Troy Flavell, Frank Bunce, Piri Weepu and Craig Dowd will spearhead the all-star roster for Three's Match Fit, beginning in late October.
Coaches Wayne 'Buck' Shelford and Sir Graham Henry have named the quartet as their first recruits for the show that brings a squad of long-retired international players together for one last game, confronting the health issues that have affected them since their glory days.
Halfback Weepu, 37, is the most recently active of this initial wave, starring under Henry at the 2011 Rugby World Cup triumph. He last appeared for the national side in 2013 and turned out for Wairarapa Bush in the Heartland Champions just three years ago.
Flavell, 43, played 22 times for New Zealand, mainly at lock, but his last test was 12 years ago, before he embarked on a professional career in Japan and France.
Dowd, 50, formed a legendary All Blacks/Auckland front row with Olo Brown and Sean Fitzpatrick during the 1990s, pulling on the black jersey 60 times.
Bunce, 58, represented both Manu Samoa and New Zealand at World Cups, and at 35, was the second-oldest All Black ever and most-capped centre, later surpassed by Conrad Smith.
Shelford and Henry will name two more player intakes before the series begins on Three.
Many will face a battle to lose the kilograms they've packed on since hanging up their boots.
"It's one of those things you don't realise until it creeps up and bites you in the backside," says Shelford, who ballooned out to 150kg and was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2007.
"A lot of them, their health may be alright, but if you don't go to the doctor, you'd never know.
"Most doctors would ask 'what was your playing weight?', they'd get on the scales and they're 15-20kg overweight," says the legendary All Blacks captain.
"They're so used to being active and burning what they eat, but once they retire from rugby, they need to cut back what they eat, because you don't need the same amount of calories."
Made with 'NZ On Air' funding, Match Fit will screen over October/November, with the second player selections due later this week.
