The announcement of the 28-strong squads follows a selection meeting attended by the coaching staff of the five New Zealand Franchises at the NZRU offices in Wellington on Tuesday.

The key points from the squad announcements are:

28 players have been selected in a Super 14 squad for the first time.

17 players have been drafted to other Franchises.

Eight players are returning to Super 14 rugby after missing initial selection last year.

Eleven players transferred to new provinces ahead of the selection meeting.

Tasesa Lavea (Auckland to Counties Manukau), Lucky Mulipola (Tasman to Otago), Kevin O\'Neill (Canterbury to Waikato), William Ripia (Waikato to Taranaki), Steven Setephano (Waikato to Otago), Chris Smylie (Otago to North Harbour), George Whitelock (Otago to Canterbury) and Ali Williams (Auckland to Tasman).

The 28 players named in a Super 14 squad for the first time are as follows:

Blues: Hawke\'s Bay lock Bryn Evans, Auckland midfielder Jamie Helleur, Auckland hooker Tom McCartney, Auckland halfback Taniela Moa, Northland prop Bronson Murray and Auckland utility back Benson Stanley.

Chiefs: Wellington loose forward Faifili Levave.

Hurricanes: Hawke\'s Bay hooker Hikawera Elliott, Wellington prop Jacob Ellison, Hawke\'s Bay wing Zac Guildford, Hawke\'s Bay loose forward Michael Johnson, Taranaki first five-eighth William Ripia and Wellington lock Jeremy Thrush.

Crusaders: Tasman halfback Kahn Fotuali\'i, Canterbury five-eighth Hamish Gard, Canterbury wing Sean Maitland, Canterbury No 8 Nasi Manu, Tasman wing Kade Poki and Canterbury loose forward George Whitelock.

Highlanders: Otago first five-eighth Daniel Bowden, Bay of Plenty first five-eighth Mike Delany, Manawatu midfielder Johnny Leota, Otago midfielder Brett Mather, Hawke\'s Bay prop Clint Newland, Otago loose forward Steven Setephano, Otago loose forward Adam Thomson, Northland wing Fetu\'u Vainikolo and Southland fullback James Wilson.

The eight players returning to Super 14 rugby squads are:

Southland loose forward Tim Boys (Highlanders), Taranaki lock Craig Clarke (Hurricanes), Otago lock Tom Donnelly (Highlanders), Auckland lock Kurtis Haiu (Blues), Wellington loose forward Tom Harding (Chiefs), Hawke\'s Bay halfback Danny Lee (Blues), former Crusaders lock Brad Thorn (Crusaders) and Taranaki loose forward Scott Waldrom (Hurricanes).

Three 2007 Super 14 players were not considered for selection for 2008 due to injury and long-term rehabilitation - Wellington\'s Serge Lilo, Tasman\'s Peter Nixon and Waikato\'s Nathan White. Otago\'s James Ryan was also unavailable for selection after it was agreed that he should have an extended break from rugby following rehabilitation of his current injury.

NZRU Professional Rugby Manager Neil Sorensen congratulated the 140 players selected, especially the new players.

\"The squads show that there is a real depth in New Zealand rugby, with the Air New Zealand Cup again unveiling some new talent, and it\'s great to see that the four new teams in the Air New Zealand Cup have contributed 17 players to the squads.  Hawke\'s Bay\'s fantastic season has been rewarded with six players selected in squads.

\"It\'s an exciting time for all the new players and this is the next step in their development as a professional rugby player. I\'m sure the players and the fans will be looking forward to the start of the competition after the summer break.\"

The Crusaders kick off next year\'s Super 14 competition when they host the Brumbies in the opening match at AMI Stadium, Christchurch, on Friday 15 February. The final is on Saturday 31 May.