Coach Wayne Smith admitted the composition of his Black Ferns World Cup squad is causing him some headaches, as he prepares for the team's final pre-tournament hitout.
Smith and his assistants Wes Clarke and Whitney Hansen made several changes to the team which crushed Australia 52-5 last weekend for Saturday's rematch at Adelaide.
The staff spoke earlier in the week about the importance of striking a balance between the development of combinations and giving untested players a final chance to shine this weekend, and it appears they've leaned firmly towards the latter.
A total of 12 changes - eight to the run-on side and four to the bench - have been made to the game-day squad, with Smith seizing every possible chance to give candidates a chance to shine.
"We've got very little time left," Smith said. "There are lots of players who have done well for us, but it's crunchtime.
"I'm confident this team will go well, then it's about individuals showing up and putting their names forwards for that final selection."
Debutants Grace Steinmetz and prop Santo Taumata are two with perhaps the most to prove, while Chelsea Semple and Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu get their turn to press their claims for a midfield that has been rotated five times in as many tests.
Smith will eventually name a 32-woman squad for the World Cup on home soil, which begins with another showdown against Australia on October 8.
The former All Blacks mastermind only joined the national coaching setup in April, meaning he's had to lean heavily on his more experienced assistants on matters of selection.
"It's stopping me sleeping at night," said Smith "I'm new into this and still finding out about some of these women. The other coaches know more about them than I do.
"I'm anxious because you can only pick 32 for the World Cup.
"There are some tough decisions to be made, some tough phone calls to be made, but we've probably got enough information now to make them."
The squad won't be named until the end of the Farah Palmer Cup next month.
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